Deus Ex: Human Revolution (A New Beginning - Adam Jensen)
by Meagie84
Summary: Set a year after the Deus Ex Human Revolution game. My own version of what happen to Adam Jensen after the game's ending. Contains an O/C.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I jolted awake to a loud computerised beeping sound. It took a few moments to register what it was because all around all I could see was inky blackness. My heart rate increased as I realised I was lying on my back, entombed. I was breathing air, which is surprising considering I seem to have been buried alive. The air is slightly stale and I coughed, swallowing the dry particles which have made their way down my throat. Suddenly, the incandescent blue of a computer screen lights up the interior of my tomb, making me blink at the sudden light. I watch in fascination as the screen proceeded to measure my brain function, respitory system, cardiac level and blood pressure. I heard a faint click and turned slightly to see my tomb, which actually turned out to be more of a capsule, has opened. I lay there for a few seconds, stunned. My mind is racing, I have no idea where I am nor how I had gotten there. Getting up I notice various wires attached to my chest and needles plugged into my arm. Frowning, I yank the wires out and turn to look at the screen which had begun beeping incessantly. Apparently it was alarmed at this action. I shrug and pulled the needles out of my skin, which are surprisingly thick and deep. I hiss in pain, but otherwise keep moving. I have this sense of urgency to get away from this capsule.

I climb out; my muscles feel liquefied, and it takes all my strength to balance myself upright on the edge of the pod. Dizziness swirls at the edge of my mind, but I ignore it. My eyes adjust quickly to the darkness and I'm able to make out a door. I wobble precariously but manage to maintain my balance by gripping the edge of the capsule. Despite my weakness I feel desperate to get away. In fact, this sense of urgency is almost primal in nature. Gathering myself I take a precarious step forward and am relieved to find my muscles have strengthened. Another step takes me closer to the door.

I wrinkle my nose as I taste something metallic in the back of my throat. I look around, realizing that not only had I been entombed in a capsule but I was also trapped within a large metal container. I close the distance to the door and try the handle. It's stiff and won't budge. This doesn't stop me from throwing all my weight into the downward turn of the handle. It breaks off in my hand and I stare at it stupidly for a few seconds before discarding it. I wince when the handle makes a loud sound as it hits the ground. This sound echoes around the container, having the odd effect of increasing my hearing to an uncomfortable level. Just like a stone thrown in the middle of a still pool, the ripple effect on my hearing is astounding. I find myself bent over; grasping both hands to my ears to stop the piercing sound from reverberating like a jackhammer in my skull.

I blink a few tears away as the last of the noise subsides. I stand up and concentrate on getting my breathing under control. The door had opened slightly and I cautiously placed my hand on the rusted door, pushing slightly to open it further. The sights and sounds of the night surround me. I can hear the acceleration of a truck and smell the exhaust of a nearby car. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, sorting out different scents. Humans, those not augmented, are unaware that they actually emit myriad of scents, from the baser scents such as sweat, to far less tangible scents given off by heightened emotions such as fear, arousal, and anger.

From somewhere in the back of my mind, I realise sensory overload is not new to me; it was something I needed to cope with on a daily basis. This revelation stilled me instantly. My memory. Pieces were there, but there were also gaping holes. Why had I been placed in this container? How long had I been there? I closed my eyes, trying desperately to understand why I had woken up in a capsule and why I couldn't remember how I gotten there. I sighed when my brain didn't magically provide the answers.

Deciding it was prudent to move on I looked down, realising my feet were bare, but this didn't bother me. In fact, after what I had awoken to, this seemed like such a mundane thing to stress over. I took a tentative step outside to find myself surrounded by hundreds of other containers. Frustration and confusion swirled around me. I was anxious to find out why I was here; however, I certainly wasn't going to find any information standing outside of my container. I moved to the left, noting each container had a number etched on the side. Mine was number 104. I followed the numbers counting backwards from 104. I couldn't see anyone within my immediate area, but remained wary. I walked quickly towards what I hoped was an exit, and when the last container counted down to 1, I saw a security hub, being manned by a sleeping security guard. From the shadows I crouched down out of site. My excellent eyesight allowed me to make out an enormous amount of detail. He was a man in his mid-40's, with a receding hairline and increasing stomach. He had grey in both his beard and hair, and I could see the remnants of crumbs smattered in his beard. He was dressed in the plain khaki green of rent-a-cops around the world. He was dozing while he watched the small TV, which happened to be on a news channel.

Sneaking around the guard would be easy, only one camera was online, and it was pointed towards the entrance and would not catch me when I slipped around the guard's hub. I cocked my head to try and catch whatever the newscaster was saying. Absently listening, but not overly interested in what the news anchor was saying. I began to move, only to hesitate and almost stumble when I heard the broadcast "…._Eliza Cassan reporting in Detroit, this 5__th__ May 2029_". Fear began to rise in my throat, threatening to become a full blown panic attack. I was in Detroit? In 2029? This couldn't be right. The year as I knew it was 2022. Had I been placed in a capsule for seven years? In some kind of hibernation? I took a deep breath and ran past the guard and the security camera; neither was alerted to my presence. I ran faster, trying to escape the newscaster's words. My adrenaline was peaked and I was scared. Not only was my memory lacking, but I had apparently lost seven years of my life.

I had no idea how far I had run, but I decided I needed to slow down. My muscles felt fatigued, and although I no longer felt the weakness I had originally woken to, I nonetheless felt nowhere near my peak physical strength. Slowing to a jog, I eventually stopped and took stock of where I was. I had stopped in what seemed a derelict part of town, in the middle of an old basketball court. The cement was cracked and the weeds were poking their shrivelled yellow stalks out of the surface. The two goal posts were bent, and litter was scattered throughout the court. I shrank down on my haunches, trying desperately to combat the fear and think rationally. My hands touched the rough surface of the concrete, almost like it was a lifeline. I was so distracted by my thoughts I didn't hear the footsteps approach until I was effectively surrounded. I raised my head slowly, meeting the augmented eyes of a gangbanger.

I sighed. Fantastic, just what I needed. My eyes darted around quickly, counting seven of them, all augmented to some degree. All males, all in their late teens, early 20's. Feeling corned I stayed crouched while the others formed a loose formation around me. Their leader, because that was obvious who he was, cocked his head and smiled at me. His lank greasy hair hung over his eyes, and when he smiled, he wore an ugly metal grill. He and his "posse" all wore baggy denim jeans and the same green jacket which signified their allegiance to their particular gang.

"Well hello sweetheart. Didn't expect to find such a lovely looking morsel 'ere", he drawled.

I rolled my eyes in response. "And I certainly didn't want to find your kind round '_ere_", I retorted. I sighed internally. That probably was not my smartest move, pissing off an augmented gangbanger.

When I mimicked the way he said "'ere", I heard one of his friends laugh behind me, but cut it off quickly when the leader shot a glare his way.

"For that love, you'll suffer….."

I didn't even give him time to finish his sentence before I launched myself at him from my crouched position. I moved fast, and had the satisfaction of seeing the grin fade from his face when I landed two quick punches to his gut. While he was hunched over I grabbed him around the neck and twisted, hearing the satisfying snap of his spinal cord. His body fell to the floor and I tried to turn around, anticipating an attack from the others. I jerked forwards and cried out; one banger had managed to come up behind me deliver a vicious punch to the kidney. I rolled with the punch, but also twisted around to grab the guy's shirtfront. I heard him gasp as I wrapped my hands around his throat and crushed his larynx. Two down, and the other five had wizened up and now circled around me, keeping just out of reach.

Two stepped forward simultaneously, like they had both practiced the move hundreds of times before. Looking at them I realised why; twins. They came at me from both sides. They were both scrappy fighters, punching wherever they saw an opening. I had a hard time keeping my defences up. However, one made a sloppy move towards me. He came at me, head lowered, expecting his brother to attack from the other side. However, his brother was a fraction of a second too slow. I managed to wrap my arm around his neck and used his momentum to hurl him towards his brother. They both landed in a heap on the floor, and before they could get up, I stomped on both their faces.

I heard the cock of a gun a fraction of a second before I turned around. It seemed odd to me, I heard the echo of the gunshot long before I even registered the pain of the wound. As I looked down I saw blood well slowly and ooze out of the hole in my stomach. I swallowed as the pain suddenly registered and I staggered a bit, my hand going immediately to my stomach to try and hold in the blood. I looked up to find one of the bangers grinning, and before I could turn and run, the two remaining bangers were upon me. Every time I ducked and weaved their punches, the pain in my stomach spread. I had no idea why the guy with the gun just didn't shoot me dead. Every time one of them got a hit in, I heard a laugh, and realised they were toying with me. Despite the gunshot I was holding my own. When one of them came at me, I shot my fist out and watched, detached, as teeth actually flew from his mouth and he fell in a heap on the ground. I was gasping for breath and decided it was prudent to get out of there, but before I could turn to get away, the other banger fired again, this time hitting me in the ball of the shoulder. The momentum of the bullet pulled me around so that I fell to the ground on my stomach. I groaned as I landed on my stomach. I lay there in pain, gasping, fear coursing through me. I found I just didn't have the strength to lift myself up and I felt for sure I was about to die.

Before I could turn over I felt a searing pain in my head. One of them had pulled me up by my hair and was whispering down to me. "How about we have some fun, huh? Before we shoot you, of course. We don't like fucking no dead girls". I could feel his fetid hot breath on my cheek and loathing slithered through me. He laughed when I gasped, and I felt his erection pushing into my back. I shivered in repulsion. The guy above me chuckled, feeling my reaction to his arousal. Anger coursed through me, and I found the strength to lift my arm and swing my elbow behind me. I heard the satisfying crunch of his nose being broken. He dropped my head quickly, and I banged my forehead against the concrete. I fought desperately against the tide of unconsciousness. If I passed out now I would never wake up.

I grabbed the chain link fence next to me and hauled myself up, trying desperately to combat the pain and fatigue coursing through my system. The guy whose nose I had broken stood up slowly, his hands cupped around his nose. When he saw me standing he took his hands away and let the blood drip down his face. He grinned at me, made all the maniacal by the fact that his teeth were coated in blood. He took one step towards me before I saw his chest explode in a shower of red.

I blinked, wondering if blood loss was responsible for this hallucination, then watched as a figure in black descended on the remaining bangers. I tried to watch, wondering idly whether he was friend of foe, but black had begun to creep into the edges of my vision, and I could no longer hold myself up. I let my body slide down against the fence. My eyelids felt heavy, and as if by its own accord, I felt my head droop towards my chest. I heard the dull thuds of flesh hitting flesh but I couldn't bring myself to care. The pain was growing in intensity. My stomach felt like someone was repeatedly stabbing me with a hot poker, and my shoulder was a raw wound I was barely able to move. I heard footsteps approach me and somehow managed to lift my head.

To be honest I was only slightly interested to see who it was. Whoever it was might finish me off quickly, at least save me some suffering. I started a little as I saw who it was. I had no idea what had happened with the gangbangers but this person standing in front of me was certainly no street thug.

The man standing above me was tall, and I had to squint against the glare of the nearby light to make out his face. He was also decked out in some expensive military grade augmentations. Both arms were augmented, replaced with a Cybernetic Arm Prosthesis. They were such high grade augmentations that when he moved, his arms mimicked the actions of actual muscle in normal human arms. I watched, fascinated, as the sleek blackness glinted in the poor light. Before I passed out I managed to take stock of his face. He had short, but spiky brown hair and the most perfectly manicured beard I'd ever seen. Oddly, despite the fact that it was dark, he seemed to be wearing sunglasses, which kept me from properly focussing on his eyes. The struggle to keep my eyes open delayed me from noticing anything further about this unique man who had possibly saved my life. My last noticeable thought before I passed out was how attractive he was. I may have smiled before darkness finally enveloped me as I saw a faint frown mar his face….


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Adam Jensen was no stranger to the life of an insomniac. Ever since his augmentation procedure, and especially since returning from Panchea and the nightmare Hugh Darrow created, it had become increasingly difficult for him to get any kind of peace. Nightmares plagued his unconscious mind. It was the smell of his own burning flesh the night he was forced to become augmented, and it was the deaths he witnessed and caused himself while on his quest to avenge Megan's "death". His conscience allowed him no respite, not even in sleep. Just like most nights, Adam lay awake in bed, tossing and turning, uncomfortably aware it would be another sleepless night. However, tonight Adam had felt far too restless to just lie in bed, so he got up, and dressed quickly to take a walk in the small hours of the morning.

Adam was never afraid walking alone on the streets on Detroit, day or night. Confident in his own strength he spared little to no thought of the dangers others felt when walking the dark and dangerous streets of Detroit alone. Adam's thought were on his own inner turmoils. Even after shutting down the Hyron Project, he felt a deep sense of unease about his own future. The Illuminati were still out there, a dangerous and secret organisation which posed a threat to many. Despite years of research, the world still resisted human augmentation and were downright hateful at times towards those with augmentations. Megan was also a source of disharmony in his life. She had returned to work at Sarif Industries, and despite them sitting down to have a long overdue discussion, Adam was still dissatisfied with her answers. Yes, she had betrayed him. And, yes she had used his DNA without his permission for her own research. He even doubted her sincerity when she swore she was a Namir's prisoner. It was these last thoughts that had Adam seething. Adam had believed Megan and her team dead, and had spent months following breadcrumbs from one side of the world to the other, to try and avenge her "death".

Adam was convinced their relationship had been built upon false pretences and was done trying to analyse every little aspect in their relationship to see whether Megan had ever actually loved him. Now, seeing her at work every day, Adam found himself barely controlling his anger and resentment towards everyone; Megan, Sarif and yes, even himself. Adam was angry because as an Aug he had nowhere else to go. The Police force would never have him back and Sarif Industries was the only place he could possibly sustain employment. Megan had made it clear she was open to starting again, even just a friendship, although she had stated it plainly that if he wanted more she was willing. Adam just couldn't trust her. She had betrayed him on more than one occasion and he knew that because he had trusted her with his whole being, her betrayal cut deep more deeply than she would ever know and she would never have his trust again.

Adam was jolted out of his revere when he heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. Adam began to jog towards the sound. He had to grin to himself. No one else would run _towards_ a gunshot in the middle of night in Detroit. As Adam rounded a corner he came to a halt, watching an unbelievable scene unfold in front of him. A woman, small in stature and obviously injured, was fighting off a gang of Augs by herself. Adam could see a large blood stain on her plain grey shirt which seemed to be spreading. This caused Adam some concern. While she was obviously injured, and by a gunshot no less, she was still on her feet, a feat most humans would be unable to achieve. Adam's retinal implant was feeding him masses of data about this woman, all contradictory. Adam scrolled through the tactical data, which confused more than enlightened him. Adam blinked, thinking his retinal implant must be malfunctioning. The data stream was oscillating between informing him the woman was an Aug, then clearing the data, informing him she was human. Adam was confused, and decided to wait in the shadows to see what would happen.

Adam watched and noted how the girl moved; smoothly, obviously extremely well trained in close quarter combat. She was also extremely fast, Aug fast. Adam was deliberating whether to get involved, and it was the gunshot wound to her shoulder that made Adam intervene. Since she had conveniently dispatched the majority of bangers, he had no trouble subduing the rest. As Adam walked towards her, he realised how badly she was wounded, with a gunshot wound to the stomach and shoulder. Adam had very little time to take in her details, but did notice her smile slightly at him before her eyes closed and she slumped over. Adam immediately bent to pick her up; cradling her gently against his chest as he carried her to the nearest car.

Adam effortlessly held her in one arm while breaking the car handle door of the nearest vehicle he found. When Adam drove away, he found himself driving towards Sarif Industries instead of Detroit Memorial. He wasn't sure why he didn't take her to the nearest hospital, but something was different about this girl. He flicked his eyes over her again. She was definitely not augmented. The fluctuating readings given by his HUD, combined with her speed and strength had Adam wondering who, or what, exactly this girl was. Adam knew, as an ex-cop, that his instincts were almost always correct, and his were screaming at him that this woman was unique. He knew, although he was unsure why, that she would be safer at Sarif Industries, who had their own medical team and could treat her anyway.

As Adam raced towards Sarif Industries, he activated his InfoLink. "Pritchard, you there?"

"Of course Jensen, where else would I be but at your beck and call?", came the sarcastic nasal reply of Francis Pritchard, head of cyber-security at Sarif Industries.

Adam ground his teeth but ignored the jibe. "I need you to assemble Doctor Lambert's team. I'm bringing in a woman, she's been shot in the abdomen and shoulder.."

Before Adam could finish, however, Pritchard interjected. "Then take her to a hospital, she's of no concern to Sarif Industries. Or is she a "consort" of yours Jensen? Hmm? Get a little too frisky? She didn't like banging Robo Cop".

This time Adam couldn't control his anger, and his voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Pritchard. Listen to me very carefully. If you don't have Lambert's medical team waiting when I arrive, after I have finished with you, you will require Augmentation more extensive than mine to survive. Is that clear enough for you?"

Shocked silence filled his InfoLink, before he heard a few choice words from Pritchard, before a beep signalled the connection had been disabled. Adam immediately regretted being so short with Pritchard, but he didn't appreciate the man's incessant need to rile him, especially insinuating it was himself that had caused the girl harm. Adam spared a look at the girl, who was pale from blood loss. Adam was driving slightly faster than he normally would, in a stolen car nonetheless, but the situation was dire. Despite the fact that Pritchard hadn't actually said he'd have Doctor Lambert on standby, Adam knew the security specialist well enough that his professionalism would not allow him to not to carry out an order. Adam just hoped he got the girl to the Doctor in time.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Doctor Lambert and his team of medical professionals were waiting for Adam in the belowground employee parking lot with a mobile stretcher. Adam hurried behind them as they took the girl to the medical bay. Sarif actually employed a team of doctors to treat its own employees. Adam knew he was technically breaking the rules by bringing the girl here but he honestly felt it was the right thing to do. Adam followed the team, but was interrupted as one of the guards under his command came over to him.

"Boss, Mr. Sarif wants to talk to you".

Adam repressed a sigh; this was what he had expected. Pritchard had gone running to Sarif to tell him how his wayward employee had once again managed to disregard the rules and bring what Pritchard believed to be an injured prostitute into Sarif Industries. For a moment, Adam seriously considered making David Sarif wait until he knew the girl was stable, but decided that his behaviour towards Pritchard and breaking the rules by bringing the girl here in the first place might make David Sarif far angrier than he needed to be.

Adam sat in his office, multi-tasking. Actually, if he was being honest with himself, he was brooding after the argument he had with his boss. He was also trying to discover the woman's identity. As Adam hacked into the Police database, he thought about how Sarif had lectured him about how inappropriate it was for him to threaten Pritchard. Adam had actually spent a moment of this lecture picturing how Pritchard's face would look after he smashed his fist into it. Adam mentally shook himself and put on his best passive face for Sarif. In truth he deserved the reprimand but it didn't make him feel any more charitable towards the security analysts.

Sarif then spent the next ten minutes grilling Adam about the mysterious woman he had smuggled into the medical bay. Adam had tried his best to explain why he had a hunch the woman was more than she appeared. Adam was upfront about how his HUD gave conflicting readings and how he suspected she was more than a normal young woman. This didn't seem to sway Sarif, so in the end Adam had simply asked Sarif to trust him. His boss had stilled, huffing a bit at that. Talking about trust between the two of them was a touchy subject. Adam knew this and used it to his advantage. For now, Adam's mystery woman was allowed to stay and recuperate from her wounds. However, Sarif had ordered the Doctors to complete a full blood work and Adam was to spend the night attempting to find to out her identity. Adam accepted this as his penance for his aggressive behaviour towards Pritchard.

Adam began the tedious task of searching the missing person's database, beginning with reports from the last few months. Adam was forced to look through every report individually, as the girl had not had any identification on her. This meant that he didn't know her name, date of birth or any personal details which would have normally made the search easier, like home address, bank details etc. After a few hours Adam hit a frustrating dead end searching the Police database. With a slight pang of conscience he decided to widen his net further and use a program created by Pritchard which would searched a number of agencies' databases such as the FBI, Homeland Security, DOD, and the Armed Forces. The program was genius really, although Adam wasn't likely to tell Francis that. All he had to do was input some information into the program, and it would hack into relevant databases and return the provided information if it was there of course. After a few tedious hours, Adam the program beeped and Adam has some information about the woman. It was blind luck that the program picked up on an old Army investigation which had some relevance to the mystery woman. Right in front of him was a picture of the woman who was now unconscious in the medical bay. After reading the file, Adam deduced she was somehow connected to an unsolved case. Oddly, the file held such a small amount of information, it was hardly even worth the effort to even create the file. Adam did find out a few vital pieces of information. Her name, Madison Turner, her age, 32. Adam had to raise his eyebrow at that. She looked far younger than her stated age. She was "wanted for questioning in regards to an ongoing investigation". Adam mulled that over. In his experience, the Army did not create a file, and then put the bare minimum amount of information about the person in question or the case, in that file. The Army were known for endless amounts of paperwork and it was the lack of information that had Adam's interest piqued. While Adam was saving the file and exiting the program, his office phone rang. Absently he picked it up, expecting it to be one of his guards reporting an issue. He was surprised when he heard Doctor Lambert's voice on the other end.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Adam? I'm glad I caught you. I was wondering if you could make a trip down to the medical bay? It's about the young woman you brought to us. As per Mr. Sarif's request I completed a full blood workup. I, er, also did a few additional tests as some of the preliminary tests showed some unusual results. Listen, I'm rambling a bit, I know, but if you could just come down here I really need to discuss these results with you".

Adam took the lift adjacent to his office down to the sub-basement level where the medical bay was situated. The Doctor's phone call had Adam feeling a mixture of emotions. He was intrigued and apprehensive as well. The Doctor had refused to disclose more information "over the phone" like he was some paranoid nutcase worried about who was listening. When the lift signalled he'd come to the right floor Adam stepped off and briskly walked towards Doctor Lambert's office. Doctor Lambert stood with his back to Adam, scanning an X-ray lit up against the wall. Adam knocked lightly on his open door. Lambert jumped slightly and frowned as he spun around. When he saw it was Adam, his frown disappeared but his very being seemed to be humming with a suppressed excitement.

Adam studied the Doctor carefully. Doctor Lambert had been with Sarif Industries for over a decade and had assisted on his life-saving Augmentation surgery. Doctor Lambert was in his mid-50's, with a full head of hair that was salt-and-pepper in colour. He had on the biggest pair of spectacles Adam had ever seen anyone wear. It made his brown eyes look larger than they were supposed to, and Adam had the uncomfortable feeling that he was being studied as if by a microscope when he wore the glasses. Adam had mostly steered clear of Doctor Lambert after the surgery, preferring not to have contact with those who had made the decision to augment him "to save his life". Lambert completed all of Adam's physicals, which were required by David, so Adam couldn't completely avoid him. Most of the time the Doctor was quiet and complacent by nature, and had a very unassuming air about him. Today was different. He seemed excited about something and was unable to settle, and Adam watched slightly amused as he fidgeting near his chair. Adam narrowed his eyes critically as his HUD flashed information about the Doctor. His heart rate was accelerated, and Adam's own enhanced eyesight could pick up the tiny beads of sweat on his forehead. He motioned Adam to sit down, and Adam complied. Before the Doctor could begin, Adam enquired after Madison's wellbeing.

"Madison?" Doctor Lambert asked, clearly confused.

Adam shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Right, he'd made a few "discreet" enquiries into the woman's background, but the Doctor didn't know this.

"Yeah, I managed to find out her name" Adam stated. He didn't give anything more away as the Doctor stared at him expectantly. When Adam simply started back at him the Doctor coughed into his hand, unwilling to press him further.

"As I said on the phone, there were some anomalies in this 'Madison's' blood". The Doctor paused after this, seemingly at a loss in how to proceed.

"Listen Adam, as you know, I'm aware of how your DNA is different and how you're able to cope with Augmentations without the need for Neuropozyne. The only reason I bring this up is because, well, this young woman has similar DNA to you. But that is not the extraordinary part. This young woman actually has augmentations; we just cannot visibly see them. I…"

Adam sat up in his chair. "Wait Doc, what do you mean, _she has augmentations_?"

The Doctor's eyes sparkled behind his glasses. 'Let me explain. I'll try not to get too technical, and most of what I tell you, you already know, but I need to provide a background so you understand just how unique this girl is".

"Okay, so when mechanical augmentation was first engineered, finding the perfect interface between man and machine, was let me just say, astonishingly difficult. External prosthetics are now made from hypoallergenic materials, such as the polymer that are your arms. Only these hypoallergenic materials are able to fuse with human skin, but before this, every other synthetic augmentation would not work because the human body was unable to cope being fused with metal."

"Scientists found that implanting such devices in the brain caused death in almost all patients. Early on in the augmentation project, scientists and doctors began to see how illnesses such as Parkinson's disease could be helped by augmentations. Patients with Parkinson's had metal electrodes surgically inserted into their brains to stop the tremors. Scientists were ecstatic when they learnt that these electrodes were successful in quelling the tremors. However, they also had unfortunate side effects. The use of the stiff metal electrodes in the brain made them vulnerable to impacts caused by bodily movements. This, in turn, caused tissue damage and muted the device's effectiveness. For a while, augmentation on the brain ceased completely, and the hope people had to cure such diseases like Parkinson's vanished."

"However, as you know, Hugh Darrow pioneered the PEDOT cluster array. What Darrow did for Augmentations can be likened to what Alexander Fleming did for medicine by discovering penicillin. The biochip is a hybrid device made from organic materials, which the human body has far more success bonding with. Basically, the biochip is used as an organic conducting polymer, in place of the normal electrodes, which are then attached to artificial neurons which have been grown specifically for the device. Because the device is made entirely by organic material, the patient is prone to far less side effects. However, the one side-affect no-one expected was the rejection syndrome everyone experiences when they become augmented".

Adam smiled grimly when the Doctor talked about rejection syndrome. He had never had need of Neuropozyne, and never would thanks to his unique DNA which allowed his body to join seamlessly with any augmentations. Adam pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache build up behind his eyes.

"Doc, while all this is fascinating, and I'm sorry to be abrupt, but what does it have to do with Madison?"

The Doctor grinned, "I'm getting to that. That girl in there has the most advanced form of augmentation I've ever seen. While we are still in the early stages of adapting to humans melding with machine, that woman in there is light-years ahead of current research. Adam, she doesn't need metal prosthetics to be enhanced. She has what can only be described as nano-augmentation technology. They're at the beginning stages of this technology and I've kept up with the developments, so I know what it would essentially look like. I've run countless tests; blood, bone, and cardiac, everything I can think of. Her entire system, cardio-vascular, central nervous system, bone density, and muscle mass seem to be infested with some kind of nano-technology. As far as I can see, whatever happened to her has resulted in a complete transformation of her body on a cellular level. Her bones are stronger than a normal human, her muscle mass means she has an incredible capability for strength beyond those even with augmentations. Her heart, lungs, central nervous system, all of it, even her skin is like your dermal armour, it's able to withstand amazing amounts of damage. Combine that with her increased heart, lung and central nervous system capacity and she is the most advanced human being on the planet. Add to that her regenerative capabilities are astounding, even now the gunshot wounds which would most likely have caused massive internal damage in a normal human have only caused minor damage and she is recovering far faster than normal. I'd wager she will recover in a few hours, with little more than a scar."

Adam sat back in his chair, completely stunned by the Doctor's finding. What the Doctor found went some way towards explaining why his HUD provided conflicting information about this girl. Of course, the Doctor's findings also raised far more questions than answers. How did this girl come to have nano-augmentation technology, which was only at the beginning stages of creation? Where had she come from? Why was she being investigated? There were far too many questions to even begin to answer without the woman even conscious. Adam leaned forward and flicked back his glasses, so that his eyes were exposed.

"Doctor Lambert, I need you to listen very carefully" Adam paused and looked directly in the Doctor's eyes.

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably in his seat, which was exactly the effect Adam was aiming for. Adam wasn't one to mince words and now, talking to the Doctor, he needed him to understand the seriousness of the situation.

"What you've discovered _must_ stay within Sarif Industries. Only a select few will have access to this information, you, myself and Sarif. I'll need to question her when she wakes up. I'll inform David of your findings, and you can email me the complete report."

Doctor Lambert was nodding eagerly. "Yes, of course, I'll email you straight away. You can count on my complete discretion in regards to this manner. I'll run further tests and as soon as I have the results I'll email them to you. Oh, and one more thing. The young woman also has an unknown compound in her blood. I haven't been able to identify it yet. It's odd to say the least, it's a drug, I'm sure of it, but it's not a drug that is on any known medical lists. I'm most able to liken it to a combination of a poison and a paralytic. It seems to have some kind of adverse effect on her nano-augmentations. Her healing rate has slowed and her muscles have atrophied in a way. She'll recover; I just thought it worth mentioning. "

Adam stood up and nodded vaguely, snapping his glasses back over his eyes. His mind was trying to comprehend all of the information the Doctor had given him. The last piece of information about the drug was interesting. It seemed to have been given to her deliberately for the sole purpose of incapacitating her. Adam was almost out the door when he paused and turned around.

"I'll assign a few of my men to the medical bay. It's just a precaution, for your staff and the woman. I'm not sure how she'll react waking up in a strange place and I just want everyone to be safe".

Adam watched as his HUD flashed a status report at him. The Doctor's heart rate increased, most likely realising that this woman could pose a possible risk to himself and his staff. Adam smiled.

"Don't worry Doc, like I said, it's just precautionary".

The Doctor swallowed and attempted a smile. "Sure Adam".

Adam's long, purposeful strides took him towards the elevator. He needed some time to think and he did his best thought processing in his office. By the time Adam sat down at his computer again, the Doctor had sent through his report. Adam had also phoned through his request to have guards situated inside the medical bay. While Adam scrolled through the report he mulled over some ideas. He was almost certain that the Army weren't the only people looking for Madison. If this woman represented the future of augmentation technology, why was she roaming the streets of Detroit in the middle of the night? Adam suspected the girl may have escaped from some kind of laboratory. Despite the blood covering her clothing, Adam's hadn't failed to notice that she was dressed in what seemed to be a patient's outfit. He also knew that just by bringing this woman to Sarif Industries he was likely breaking the law and putting the employees he was paid to protect in danger. However, he also knew that he had to help this woman. Watching Madison fight her way through those gangbangers he'd felt a sense of connection with her. And against enormous odds, she'd almost succeeded in defeating them, which had both Adam's attention and respect. Adam felt a strange sense of kinship with this person, even before he'd learnt about her strange augmentations. Adam would do what he could to protect her. Adam didn't know how he knew this, but his being was telling him that whatever she had experienced to get those nano-augmentations, she had not consented, just like him.

While pondering those thoughts, Adam heard an alarm, and quickly pressed a few keys on his computer to bring up the camera which had sounded the alarm. His heart sunk as he realised the alarm was being emitted from the medical bay. "Shit" Adam growled, watching as Madison easily dispatched two of his guards before he raced towards the medical bay.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I woke up to a cacophony of strange smells and sounds. I kept my eyes closed and lay completely still. I heard the same computerised beeping as when I awoke in the capsule. This almost panicked me into sitting straight up and bolting out of wherever I was. However, I managed to calm my racing heart as I realised that it was a heart monitor and the beeping increased when my heart rate did. With a conscious effort I calmed myself, as I didn't want someone coming over to check on me. Subsequently, the beeping decreased and I was able to try and sort out where I was. The myriad of others smells also informed me I had not been placed back into that tomb. There were a number of different scents now compared to when I had awoken in the container.

I shifted my fingers imperceptibly, and felt that I was lying on a bed, wrapped in sheets. Taking in a deep breath, I tried to distinguish the different scents swirling around me. The most overpowering scent was a type of chemical smell which resembled disinfectant. I realised I was most likely in a hospital. I could also hear the faint brush of cloth as a man moved, and my eyes still closed, I zeroed in on him. Straining all my senses I realised there were two men in the room with me. One seemed to have a slight tickle in his throat, as every so often he would hack and try to clear his throat.

If I was going to act it would have to be quickly, to catch them off guard. I had no idea why I was under guard but if it was the same people who had trapped me in that capsule, then I knew they did not have my best interests at heart. I had no idea if these men meant me harm, but pre-emptive action seemed better than just waiting to see how my future would play out. I felt no wrist or leg straps tying me to the bed, which had me pause for a second. If I was being held captive, why wouldn't they have me strapped down to prevent escape? I shook myself mentally; it was not the time to ponder these things. I slowly opened my eyelids. The room was unbearably bright for a few seconds before I squeezed my eyes shut again. Cracking one eye open again, I sighed as the light became far more bearable. Looking furtively around I noticed an IV in my arm which was hooked up to a drip.

Locking my eyes on the men in the room, I noticed they both stood directly opposite me. They seemed relaxed. One was leaning against the wall; the other was sitting in a chair reading. Neither paid the slightest bit of attention to me, so I figured this would be the best time to act. Quickly dealing with the IV in my arm, I threw the covers off and propelled out of bed, landing on the floor in a crouch. The expressions of the guards were almost comical. They both turned towards me, mouths wide open in shock. From my crouched position I launched myself at the one who had been leaning against the wall. He would take less time to react than the other guard who would need time to get up. I decided not to use deadly force, unwilling to take the life of a possibly unknowing security guard. Using my own momentum I ran towards the guard, grabbed him by the front of his shirt and slammed his head into the back of the wall. He fell to the floor, unconscious, slumped in a heap against the wall. Before I could turn around I heard the shrill high pitch sound of an alarm and felt the slight sting of a dart in my neck.

I turned around quickly, yanking the dart out. The guard who had been sitting in the chair had reacted far more quickly than I had anticipated. Despite the dart gun he wasn't armed, so I charged towards him. He made a clumsy attempted at grabbing me, so I grabbed his arm, twisted him around and propelled him head first into the wall. He too was unconscious before he fell to the floor. I blinked slightly as my vision swam from whatever had been in the dart. I shook my head to try and clear it as I stepped over the guard. I punched the red button near the door which opened in a silent swish. As soon as I emerged from the door I saw two guards approach me. They both kept a weary distance and both had their dart guns pointed at me. I hesitated for a second, and then took a step forward, intending to dispatch both guards. However, before I had time to reach either, both shot me with the dart gun. I gritted my teeth as I pulled the two darts from my chest. The culmination of the three darts was potent. Black spots began to appear in my vision. I clenched my teeth, unwilling to surrender. Both guards looked surprised when I stalked towards them.

The first guard brought his gun up again but I grabbed the gun and punched him in the face. He fell sideways, so I grabbed him around the neck and brought him flush up against my body. This prevented the other guard from shooting me again with another one of those darts. I didn't think I'd be able to stand if were hit with another. The other guard hesitated, not wanting to shoot his colleague. I backed up so I had the wall against my back, making sure no one could sneak up behind me. Dizziness swept over me as my body tried its hardest to combat the effects of the dart.

I whipped around as I heard the door open to my right. To my astonishment I saw the same man who had rescued me from the gangbangers. He walked in slowly towards me, hands held out to his side, palms up, showing he was unarmed. He made no sudden movements, which I appreciated. He walked up to the guard and put his augmented hand on the dart gun to lower it. The guard shot him an incredulous look, and I saw the man frown over those damned glasses. I realised now they were part of his augmentations. I watched as the man made the guard lower the weapon and jerked his head, signalling for him to retreat. I swallowed nervously as the guard backed out and I was left alone with this heavily augmented man.

The guard in front of my struggled slightly so I tightened my grip around his neck, making him choke out a gasp. This effectively stopped him from struggling. The man in front of me stopped a few paces away from me. I watched his eyes behind those sunglasses. He most likely wasn't aware of it, but I could see the nuances of his expression even behind the glasses. Most people wouldn't be able to, but with my enhanced eyesight I was able to see his eyes clearly. I was surprised to see he also had a retinal prosthesis, and depending on the type, this could give him an advantage over me. He would most likely have an InfoLink which would be feeding him data about my physical reactions, such as heart rate, possible physical weaknesses etc. Finally, after a somewhat awkward amount of time, he spoke.

"My name is Adam Jensen. I'm not sure if you remember but I…" He hesitated at this juncture … "_assisted_ you after you'd been shot by those gangbangers. I brought you to my place of employment, Sarif Industries. We have some of the finest Doctors in Detroit in our medical team and they managed to patch you up".

I remained silent, waiting to see what else he had to say. Sarif Industries sounded vaguely familiar, but I'd allow myself to process that later, after I was out of danger. I watched as he leaned almost imperceptivity forward on one foot. He was trying to get into a position to that would allow him better tactical advantage. I adjusted my own position, making sure the guard who I held prisoner was placed firmly between me and this Adam Jensen. He leaned back, smiling ruefully as he realised I wasn't so easily fooled.

"I know you're scared right now. You're in no danger from me or my men. They darted you because they thought you were a threat to themselves and the medical staff. I apologise for that. If you can just let Jared go we can talk. I promise no harm will come to you."

Adam watched as Madison eyed him suspiciously. He had tried, unsuccessfully, to gain some kind of tactical advantage over her, by shifting his weight forward, in an attempt to spring towards her if she had shown any inclination for more violence. She'd noticed, much to his chagrin, and he'd backed off. Adam wasn't sure what he was going to do if she didn't let go of Jared. She hadn't seriously injured any of his men, she had merely incapacitated them, which allowed Adam some leeway in which to deal with her. Adam watched her closely, as she looked him over, obviously assessing him and whether to risk taking him at his word. If Adam hadn't been watching so closely he probably wouldn't have noticed it, but his head cocked to the side when he noticed a golden ring light up around her pupils. It would be imperceptible to the normal human eye, and he watched fascinated as her gaze travelled over him. Whatever she saw, she seemed satisfied that he had no ulterior motive or she recognised she had nowhere else to run. With a sigh she released her death grip on Jared's neck and pushed him forward towards Adam. Such was her strength that poor Jared was sent sprawling towards the floor, skidding on his hands knees a few inches from Adam's position. Adam watched as Jared massaged his neck and coughed. Adam never took his eyes off Madison, but leaned down to grab Jared around his arm and hauled him upright. After pausing to check he was okay, he directed Jared towards the entrance.

Loath as I was to admit it, I was effectively trapped in this medical bay. Drugged, and still recovering from my injuries, there was no way I would be able to fight my way past this augmented man. Stranger still, I detected no malice or deceit in his words. I was also beginning to feel very lightheaded, and my legs were beginning to tremble. Try as it might, my body was having a difficult time fighting off the three different doses of darts.

After disposing of the guard, Jared, I realised how weak I was. My arm shot out to the wall to steady myself, and I watched wearily as Adam took a tentative step towards me. I blinked rapidly, alarmed to find my vision was becoming fuzzy. I fought it, barely. Despite his assurances he would not harm me, I still didn't trust him, and when he attempted to get closer I panicked. I tried to turn to get away but my legs just collapsed out from underneath me. I landed on my injured side, grunting as pain spiked in my stomach. My last vision showed Adam's concerned face hovering above mine before I blacked out completely.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Adam sat in a chair in Madison's room, reading through the nightly reports from his men. Adam had thought it prudent that he be there when she awoke again, not wanting a repeat performance from her. Adam sighed as he recalled the second argument of the night with Sarif. David was none too happy about Madison's escapades in the medical bay and had wanted to eject her immediately. It was only after Adam had informed him that Madison was a product of nano-technology research that Sarif had room to pause. Adam had not had the chance to inform Sarif of Madison before she had awoken and attacked his staff. He didn't blame her. He knew more than anyone that waking up in a strange place could bring out a very primal urge to protect one's self with whatever means were necessary. Despite this he was impressed with her restraint. She could have killed the guards, but she didn't.

Sarif has been beyond excited about Madison's medical findings and had wanted to run further, more invasive and extensive tests. Adam had denied this immediately, to the absolute astonishment of Sarif, who was used to giving, not taking orders. Adam had politely reminded him that Sarif was not Madison's medical proxy, and no one would touch her again unless she permitted it. It was this veiled reference to a medical proxy which had Sarif backing off. Sarif was Adam's medical proxy and had used that excuse to Augment Adam after his life threatening injuries the night Megan and her team were taken. Although Adam understood that the procedure was necessary to save his life, Adam knew that Sarif had chosen to augment him far more than was necessary. Adam had to wonder whether Madison would still be lying here if Sarif wasn't salivating over what this woman could represent to future research of augmentation.

Adam tilted his head back slightly and massaged his neck; closing his eyes as he felt slight relief from the tenseness in his muscles. When he opened them again he was surprised to see Madison had woken up and was staring directly at him. Adam dropped his hand to his side abruptly and sat up straighter in his chair. He swore under his breath, angry at his lack of focus. He watched her carefully, but she seemed more interested in taking in his features than in attacking him.

I knew as soon as I woke up that the man who had rescued me, Adam Jensen, was sitting in the room with me. It was his base scent. Everyone has their own unique scent, but only those who have been augmented with enhanced senses can identify those individual markers. Adam's individual scent was earthy, a combination of sandalwood and a musky soap he used that I was unable to identify. He also gave off a slight metallic scent, obviously due to his augmentations. I was surprised my hands were free, especially after what happened the last time I had woke up. Despite all my instincts to run away, I gritted my teeth and allowed myself to take deep breaths.

I watched as Adam Jensen sat across from me reading. Now that I wasn't being attacked by gangbangers or trying to fight my way out of a building, I took the time to take in his features, and to my surprise I actually found myself attracted to him. His hair was a dark brown, short at the sides but spikey at the top where I could catch glimpses of a lighter brown colour at the tips when he shifted under the artificial light. His beard was perfectly manicured and accentuated his strong jawline. On the left side of his forehead, near his hairline, he had a weird type of hexagonal imprint. It wasn't a scar, and I could vaguely make out Sarif written within. His left eyebrow, however, had a noticeable scar running through it. He was very intense looking, and he seemed to frown a lot. I watched as he tried to massage a chink in his neck, and smiled despite myself as he looked up with a shocked expression when he noticed I was staring at him. To my horror I felt my cheeks begin to burn, but I maintained eye contact. He had no idea I was checking him out, I was sure, but I _had_ been caught staring.

Adam swallowed as he also maintained eye contact with Madison. He was wary, but she showed no inclination to get out of bed. He found himself studying her out of curiosity. Now that she lay in bed, she didn't look as fierce. She certainly had a fire in her though, he could tell that from her stare, as she didn't shy away from maintaining eye contact. Her eyes were a lovely green colour that showed intelligence and strength. Her hair, a lovely brown and blonde combination, fell softly around her face and ended at her shoulders. She shifted slightly and he noticed it was curly at the ends. She had very full lips, and Adam jerked slightly as he realised he was staring at them. Madison was a very attractive woman. She had a light smattering of freckles around her cheeks, and when she smiled she had a lovely set of dimples which made her look younger. With some surprise he realised that he felt a spark of attraction. Since becoming augmented Adam had denied any sort of physical reaction when it came to the opposite sex, so it came as a surprise that he felt an attraction to this woman.

I heard Adam clear his throat before he began to speak. "I'm glad to see you're awake. Again, I'm sorry my men darted you. Although, it took a few darts to finally put you down. One of those darts alone are usually enough to put a fully grown man to sleep for a week". He raised an eyebrow at that.

I hadn't noticed before but Adam had a very husky, gravelly, like he was a heavy smoker. It also hadn't escaped my notice that he was aware that it was not normal for a woman of my stature to take three darts and still be standing. I was still wary of him, but the fact that he hadn't restrained me while I was unconscious went a long way towards feeling like I could trust him.

"So where exactly am I?" I asked. It seemed the simplest question out of the many that were flitting through my head. Adam looked relieved, like he was expecting me to ask a far more loaded question.

"At Sarif Industries. It's where I work. I'm the Head of Security here." He held up his hand as he could see I was about to ask a question. "I know you probably have a number of questions, but to be frank, so do I. Can I speak my peace and then you can have at it." I nodded and he continued.

"I'm not sure how much you remember, but when I came across you, you were in the midst of fighting off a bunch of augmented gangbangers. The odds weren't exactly in your favour, especially after I saw you get shot. I know you're probably wondering why you're not in hospital". Adam hesitated, and leaned forward slightly in his chair. His glasses slid back and he finally revealed his eyes to me. Of course I was able to see them even with the dark shades on, but didn't feel ready to reveal this.

"As you can see I've been pretty extensively augmented. One of my augmentations is a Retinal Prosthesis, which is state-of-the-art. When activated the optical augmentation is capable of projecting digital information directly on to my retina. The data that I can gather from this augmentation is extensive. I can determine the extent of another's augmentations. The reason I'm telling you this is because when I saw you, my HUD was telling me you were augmented, but it's obvious you're not."

Adam took a breath and continued "That's the reason I took you here and not a hospital. I'm going to be honest with you, our Doctors completed blood work on you and I'm aware you do actually have augmentations; it just comes in the form of nano-technology. I did my own research too; I know your name is Madison Turner. I'm not sure where you've come from, or why you were out in the middle of the night in medical scrubs fighting off augmented gangbangers. But know this, if you need help, I will assist you in any way I can. I'm being totally upfront and honest here. You can trust me Madison."

To say I was blown away by the information Adam had provided, was to put it mildly. Everything he had told me rang true. I was aware that the advances in augmentations had not extended to the level of sophistication which was embedded within me. All through his speech I expected him to tell me he intended to ransom me off to the highest bidder. When that didn't happen I was shocked. I appreciated his honesty though. I knew he was under no obligation to tell me anything that he had discovered. I also believed his desire to help me was genuine. I needed help, especially since the last seven years of my life had most likely been spent in some kind of coma. I not only needed his help, but also most likely the backing of Sarif Industries, if I was to figure what had happened to me. I was aware that this "help" would not come free of charge. I had my suspicions that Adam's help would require more of my blood and further testing. Even seven years ago I recalled Sarif Industries being the leader in augmentation technology, and to have someone years ahead of their research siting in their medical bay would be far too tempting. I made a decision though. Adam Jensen would be a person I would put my trust into, although he would not have my complete trust. He could be playing me, but I doubted it. I felt like he was being sincere, and my social enchantments would tell me if he lied. So far he hadn't, so I was willing to accept his help.

Aware of his eyes on me I looked up, once again searching his face for any sign of deception. I licked my lips and nodded. "Okay, I'll admit, I do need your help. And for the record I appreciate your honesty. I'll tell you what happened to me. I just need you to keep an open mind."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I sat In Sarif Industries medical bay, toying with the scratchy hospital sheet. I was aware of Adam's eyes on me. I had made the decision to tell him part of my story about how I ended up here. Trust was not something I can out freely, but Adam had been honest with me so far. In fact, saving my life meant that I owed him a debt. I took a deep breath and began.

"My Father, James, was in the Military and a career Veteran. He joined the Army when he turned 21. He advance through the ranks quickly, and was eventually recruited to Military Intelligence. He was very good at his job, and over the years he was sent off on a number of Special Ops missions. He met my Mother about 10 years after joining up. She was a chef and they fell in love, married, and had me all within a year. From an early age my Father decided to train me. Now, as an adult, I know that might seem odd to others. However, my Father knew what the world was like and hated the thought of his only child being hurt in any way because he had not prepared me to defend myself. At the time I thought it was just games. In fact, that's how he would set it up, as puzzles, obstacle courses, self-defence tactics etc."

"When most girls were out shopping or listening to their favourite bands, I was out learning about firearms and defensive manoeuvrers. My Father also taught me other valuable skills; lock picking, stealth, warfare and military tactics. He would give me a book, like the Art of War, and in additional to my homework, he'd have me analyse that book and report back to him. My Mother was against this at first, but when she saw my natural aptitude, she knew my Father would do it even behind her back, she let it go in the end."

"My Father, in his middle age, had been sent over to Afghanistan a handful of times and each time he came back on leave, it seemed a small part of his soul was left behind. He never much talked about what he saw over there, so I can only imagine the atrocities he witnesses. I witnessed a decline in his mental health after each tour. When he was overseas on assignment, I would keep up my daily regimen. The last time he came back I had just turned 18. It was pretty much a given that I would follow in his footsteps and join the forces. He never forced this on me; in fact he made it clear that if I wished to follow a different path he would be happy. It was my dream to follow in his footsteps."

"The last time my Father returned from overseas, something had truly broken in him. I saw him drinking. Before, he had never had a drink in his life. Maybe the occasional beer with friends, but he never touched alcohol as a general rule. So it came as a shock to see him go through a bottle of scotch a night. He also rarely slept. I would get up in the middle of the night for a glass of water, and I would see him pacing in the study. All these behaviours combined, worried me."

"I had enlisted and was at the end of my basic training. I came top of my class, but this was no real surprise as my Father had been training me to be a combatant since birth. Immediately after basic training when I was celebrating on base with a few friends, I was approached by a Colonel and asked to accompany him. He said it concerned my Father, so worried, of course I followed him. I was led into my Father's office and shown my Father's body. It was the single most horrific thing I'd ever had to endure. My Father and I had a very close relationship. I was told at the time that he was murdered by Rogue Military Augs. I was asked then and there if I would like to be part of a Special Task Force to help hunt down rogue Augs. Of course I accepted. It would mean a chance to track down my father's killers."

"What happened during that meeting, sitting with my father's body in front of me, changed the course of my life forever. It was at this stage that Augmentation Technology was being used by military personnel to assist in the battlefield. However, rejection syndrome was rife and the Army was desperately seeking an answer to this. What all but the highest ranking scientists and officers knew, was that they were actually close to perfecting nano-augmentation technology. No more polymer arms, metallic limbs etc."

"As you know, before you're admitted to the Forces you're required to undergo an extensive physical and they take a blood sample to see if you have any nasty surprises lurking in your DNA. What they discovered in my blood was revolutionary. Hidden within my DNA was an aspect they were missing to perfect nano-augmentation. I was told of this and asked to be part on an experiment. I had spent a few months tracking rogue Military Augs and knew just how enhanced they were physically compared to us normal combatants. During raids we lost dozens of men because some of us were not augmented and could not keep up physically with those who were. I jumped at the chance. The non-augmentation technology meant I would not have to undergo extensive limb replacement. I would be injected with the technology and my body would go through certain changes to make me stronger and more agile."

"What they failed to tell me was that I was the only one undergoing such treatment. I was given to understand that others would be a part of this experimentation, but this wasn't the case. What I remember of those experiments was pain. Excruciating pain. What they had also failed to mention was that I would undergo changes on a cellular level. The nano-technology changed my bone structure, making it more durable, it changed my muscle mass, making me stronger. My internal organs are more resilient, my heart, lungs, liver, kidneys etc can withstand far more than a normal human. My lung capacity increased so that I could hold my breathe underwater for minutes, and sprint for large distances without feeling out of breath. My vision, eyesight, smell and taste were enhanced. These experiments went on for months. They would inject me with this vicious red liquid and all I would remember would be pain for days. Each injection was designed to target a certain aspect in my body. They couldn't do it all at once as it would most likely have overloaded my system and killed me."

"When the experiments were finished it took me months to learn how to operate my new body. It was like being an infant again. The scratch of a pen was too loud and would send me to my knees. A man's aftershave was so overwhelming I would vomit. Just handling everyday items with my renewed strength was a challenge. I would crush a lot of things and so much time was spent adjusting to my new body. I had to learn how to live with my enhanced senses. All that time I thought I was a voluntary patient. Turns out I wasn't. Even now I have to wonder if my Father's 'murder' was actually committed by my superiors in a ploy to get me involved in their research. They knew my blood held the key to the future of nano-augmentation technology; I just needed a push in the right direction. That push came in the timely demise of my Father."

"I'm not sure how long, but eventually my body acclimatised and I was put through a number of different experiments. The Military wanted to see how far they were able to push me physically. These experiments became more like torture for me. Some experiments involved them blindfolding me, placing me in chains, in a tank of water. If I didn't get the chains off in time I had to hold my breath until I did. I was forced to fight my way through military exercises where the other combatant had weapons, and I had nothing to defend myself. I was pushed to the end of my physical and mental endurance, all so they could see what I was capable of. I was essentially a prisoner. But all though these trials I learnt about myself. I learnt what I could do, and it was a lot. They may have been experimenting on me, but it gave me the opportunity to see what I could do, and it was with this knowledge that eventually I planned my escape. It took months of planning, but I made it out of the compound. That's where the end of my normally fantastic memory ends. I remember an explosion and being blow off my feet. The next thing I know, I've awoken in a shipping container, hooked up to a plethora of machines. I don't know why I woke then, but the last I remember, the year was 2022."

While I told my story, I alternated between fiddling with the hospital sheets and looking at Adam. Throughout my entire retelling he sat stoically, arms crossed, giving me his unwavering attention. It was slightly disconcerting, he was so intense, and his full attention made me slightly nervous. Towards the end of my story a frown began to form and didn't let up, and I could see his strong jaw flex as if he were gritting his teeth. I wasn't sure whether he was angry, disconcerted or didn't believe my tale.

I swallowed audibly and searched his face. We sat in awkward slice for what seemed like an age. I desperately wanted to know what he was thinking, but I was a little afraid to ask. I also wanted to give him time to process what I had told him.

At the conclusion of Madison's story Adam sat still, seething. He had activated his social implant so that he was directly able to monitor her behaviour pattern and responses from her conversation. Combined with his Emotional Intelligence Enhancer, Adam was able to gain real time insight by monitoring pupil dilation, perspiration, and voice deviation to ascertain the truth in her words. As far as Adam was able to tell, her words rang true.

Adam was in fact furious. Not at her. At the treatment she experienced at the hands of her superiors. She had been subject to months, if not years of pain and experimentation all for the future of science and man's need to have more and more power. Adam knew from the beginning that he had felt a strange connection with this woman and now he knew why. Adam's own experiences were similar to hers. They had both been augmented without permission, and had been manipulated and used by those they trusted.

Adam realised that he had been sitting in silence for some time, and going by the looks Madison was shooting him, he was making her uncomfortable. He sighed, trying to brush away his anger so that he could respond appropriately. He flicked his glasses back so that she could see the nuances of his expression. To his surprise she smiled at that.

"I should probably let you know, I could already see your eyes behind your lenses." I laughed when I saw his shocked expression. I shrugged. "One of the perks of enhanced vision".

To Adam's surprise he found himself smiling back at her. He rarely smiled these days, and it amazed him that this young woman could bring about such an action with so with little apparent effort. Madison also had a wonderful laugh; it was slightly husky, just like she'd been laughing at a dirty joke. Her smile lit up her face, and her dimples deepened, making Adam uncomfortably aware of how attractive she was. Adam's smile faded when he remembered he had yet to respond to her story. Whether Sarif was happy about it or not, Adam made a vow to himself that he would help this woman. His instincts had proved correct after all. If he had taken Madison to a Hospital, a red flag would have gone up in their system and she would have been recovered by the Military and placed back into confinement or worse. Adam wasn't sure how exactly to go about helping her, but he would find a way.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Spending the last few months secluded inside Sarif Industries had been some of the best times in my life. Adam was to thank for that. He'd set about helping me from the very beginning. After listening to my account, he had asked a few insightful questions, but otherwise didn't doubt me. I had been surprised at that. I had expected scepticism and even outright disbelief. When he not only believed me but had set about making plans to ensure my safety, and had offered his assistance in any way, I had to re-evaluate my opinion of him.

Over the ensuing months, Adam's kindness and generosity knew no bounds. He was aware that my escape from the container would most likely be noticed sooner rather than later, and that my captors would be pulling out all the stops to look for me. Adam had visited the container yard but the 104 container was mysterious absent from the row, and no evidence had been left behind. Adam was also upfront that there would be a few personnel that were aware of my situation. David Sarif, Adam's boss, was the first to be appraised of the situation. Other in the know included the Doctor who had treated me when I first came to Sarif Industries, Dr Lambert, a few high ranking scientists and Head of the Neuro-Scientific research on Augmentations, Megan Reed.

I met the infamous David Sarif first. It was an interesting meeting to say the least. He was an attractive man in his 50's, with black hair highlighted by silver at the sides, and blue eyes which shone with intelligent. When he reached out to shake my hand I was a little surprised to find his right arm was augmented. It was unlike any augmented arm I had ever seen. It had a beautiful but complex pattern that seemed more for decoration than anything else.

His office was large, expensively, but not garishly, decorated. The fact that his office was at the top of the building meant that the view from his office was magnificent. Detroit at night was a breathtaking sight, especially at this immense height. I was not only impressed with the sheer size but the plethora of gadgets strewn around his office. The enormous screen behind him had a baseball game playing, but the sound was muted. In fact, he had a number of other baseball memorabilia around the office, from stray baseball caps, to signed and framed jerseys, to a baseball which sat in a stand not far from his desk. Sarif's desk was a beautiful mahogany wood. On it sat an ornate chess board with ivory chess pieces. The amount of paperwork around his office attested to the fact that he was a busy man.

When Adam and I entered, Sarif sat behind his desk in the most comfortable leather chair I'd ever seen. I glanced around and noticed a few other leather lounges were scattered around the room. It made the office seem more homely. The large black marble statue in the corner of the room was a bit of an eyesore and seemed to dominate the space it inhabited. The same hexagonal shape that I identified on Adam's forehead also adorned the ceiling in gold plated metal. I realised then it was Sarif's stamp. It shocked me slightly to feel like he had felt the need to stamp Adam with his own branding. Adam saw me looking from him to the ceiling and saw the connection I had made. Adam would have made a fantastic poker player as his expression was schooled into careful blankness. I also noticed the huge painted portrait of Sarif above an inbuilt fireplace. I had to stifle a smile at that. In my experience billionaires tended to be slightly eccentric and almost all had a self portrait painted by a famous artist. It seemed like a badge of office for most.

He was polite but guarded. I understood the reason for his wariness. I was an unknown factor, living in his workplace. During the meeting I was aware of the slight tension between Adam and Sarif. When Adam spoke about his boss he did so with respect, but there was always a slight edge to his voice. Something has transpired between them, but I wasn't about to push my luck and ask Adam such a personal question. I sensed he didn't like answering personal questions any more than I did.

When Sarif had asked if his scientists could study my blood, Adam made a displeased noise and shot his boss a withering look. Sarif appeared unfazed and had merely stared at me patiently, throwing a baseball up and down in his augmented hand. I got the impression that Adam was far from pleased at this question. I would even go as far as to speculate that Adam had specifically asked his Boss not to ask me about taking samples of my blood. I was wary about this, as I knew how important my blood was and how it could prove fatal in the wrong hands. Not that I wanted to accuse Adam's boss of being a sociopath with maniacal tendencies with ideas of creating a super army, but a girl had to be careful. I was also very aware that I was speaking to a billionaire who had created this company and was not used to hearing the work "no". I also wasn't about to be waylaid into saying yes, even though I was grateful he was providing me sanctuary. So I made a compromise of sorts. He could have access to my blood if he put some of his not inconsiderable resources, influence and contacts into helping keep me safe. Sarif had smiled at that. I was aware he was testing me, and it seemed I had passed his test, and he was happy with the results.

Adam had also converted an old, unused office into a living space for me. It was on a level not used by other personnel so I had my own privacy. I was aware that, at first, it was not only to keep me safe, but to keep an eye on me as well. However, I was grateful that I had somewhere warm, dry and safe to stay without the without the ever looming threat of pain or experimentation. Neither Adam nor Sarif were comfortable with me staying in a simple hotel room, as both were concerned that my pursuers would have easy access to me. In all honesty I was happy to have a safe room to stay in, as I got a bed, television, and access to as many Ebooks as I liked. During my time spent in a Military Medical room, it was the access to books which they denied me that pained me the most. Before becoming augmented I had an eager and inquisitive mind. Since the Intelligence enhancement, access to proper stimulation had not been an issue. I was denied personal stimulation in the form of fiction books, which had been a major issue, as I was always a keen reader. Now, I had all the time in the world to read. It also gave me the opportunity to catch up on news I had missed in the last seven years. I spent an extensive amount of time learning about Sarif Industries, and the advancements in augmentation. I needed to be aware of current and past events if I was, eventually, to make my own way in the world.

Finally I met Doctor Megan Reed. Adam had seemed reluctant to initiate a meeting between us, and it was this reluctance that had me researching everything I could on Doctor Reed. I was a little shocked with what I discovered. It didn't take a lot of digging; Megan's apparent death had been front page news for weeks. According to news reports, Dr Reed and her team of scientists were to give a ground-breaking presentation about their advances in Augmentation Research. However, the night before her team were due to fly to Washington D.C, a team of unknown assailants maimed and killed a number of Sarif Industries staff and had allegedly killed Dr Reed and her entire research team. Months later they were found alive, but being held captive in Singapore. Dr Reed, upon returning to the States had elected to work for a different company than Sarif Industries in the months after her return. Obviously her new workplace had not been a good fit as she was now working back at Sarif Industries.

I also discovered some interesting facts about Adam during my searches. I didn't intentionally set out trying to find out information about him, but his past seemed entwined with Dr Reed's. I learnt that as a result of the attack on Sarif Industries, Adam sustained life-threatening injuries and would not have survived if he hadn't undergone extensive augmentations. Well, I solved that mystery. I had been burning to ask why he had such extensive augmentations but it had never seemed polite to ask. After some more digging I also learnt that Megan and Adam had been in a long term relationship. They were separated when the attack occurred but Adam had nonetheless spent months trying to find Megan's alleged killers. This partway explained Adam's reluctance to have us meet. Whatever had happened between them was still raw, and I couldn't fail to notice how Adam studiously avoided Dr Reed's research lab.

My first meeting with Dr Megan Reed was not an easy one. Adam was on edge and was frustratingly quiet the entire way to the laboratory, making me increasingly nervous. Dr Reed's laboratory was a cold and clinical space that lacked any kind of warmth. I should have realised that this would be a precursor to our meeting. We were met by her assistant Dr Richard Cheese. The poor man looked like a humanoid version of a rat, and had the unfortunate last name of Cheese. He had long, greasy hair, front teeth that pointed outwards and long narrow nose and face that just enhanced his likeness to a rat. I felt a stirring of sympathy for him before that was stamped out by his own rude behaviour. He sneered nastily at me when Adam asked him to inform Dr Reed of our arrival.

"Ah, the specimen has arrived" he retorted nastily. Adam made a growling noise and stepped towards him. Adam's hand shot out and grabbed him by his lab coat and yanked him forward.

"Mind your manners little man, before I pound them into you". Adam said this in a mild tone, almost like they were friends chatting over a beverage, but his whole body was vibrating with supressed violence. Adam let go of him suddenly, which caused Richard to stumble backward. He said not another word and scurried off towards the lab's door. His shoulders were hunched and the way he scurried off, just like a rat, had me smothering a laugh.

Megan made us wait 10 minutes, most likely in retaliation to Adam manhandling her assistant. Megan swept in through the glass doors and marched towards Adam. She didn't say a word about the incident but she pursed her lips and had an air of disapproval about her. Adam introduced us and stood back. I had to supress a sigh of annoyance with Adam, who had effectively thrown me in the deep end, expecting me to make polite conversation with Dr Reed because he had issues with his ex. What I didn't expect was hostility from Dr Reed. After she shook my hand, she stepped back to appraise me. I felt extremely uncomfortable, like I was a specimen she'd study under a microscope. However, while she evaluated me, I took the time to get a bearing on her myself. My first impression of her was that she was an intelligent but cold woman. She had light brown hair, which was parted on her left side and pulled back into a bun. Not a hair was out of place and had me wondering how she got her hair to sit so perfectly. However, this style only seemed to highlight her harsh features and kind of made me think of a punitive headmistress. Dr Megan Reed was attractive, though, in a cold kind of way. Her green eyes held a calculating intelligence, and when she flicked those eyes over my appearance I could see the disdain in her eyes. If Adam wasn't standing next to me I might have been tempted to give her a slap for her lack of manners. However, I held my tongue, and my hand, and allowed her to feel like the superior being.

Dr Reed managed to convey, in one glance, the fact that she thought I was specimen and a nuisance one at that. After her appraisal she gave me a tight professional smile, and dismissed me in favour of talking to Adam. When she looked at him her smile turned genuine. Adam, however, seemed more uncomfortable than ever and his normal gravelly voice was more gruff than anything else. At least he seemed to dislike Megan Reed as much as I did. She, however, seemed oblivious to this fact and chatted with him like they were old friends. I watched Adam's body language in a bemused manner. He seemed to completely shut himself off from Megan. His arms were crossed, his body pointed slightly away from her. She didn't take the hint though and this was the only time her picture-perfect façade seemed to drop.

When she finally turned to me and explained a series of tests she was going to run, deliberately making no allowances to simplify her scientific jargon, I snapped. Dr Reed had come to the, wrong, conclusion that I was an unintelligent lackey that she could feel like she could exploit. To make herself feel smugly superior, she used scientific terms to explain that she was essentially testing to see if Adam's Sentinel Health System was similar to my own advanced healing. She than asked, in a completely false manner, if I needed anything to be explained.

Her reaction to my answer was comical to say the least. I merely informed her that the Sentinel RX Health System was an implant that uses electro-cardio action, adrenal stimuli, and protein therapy to fight injury through a restricted regenerative capacity. While my nano-augmentation was a primary component which allowed a series of sensor probes connected to all the vital organs to do the same, but with more extensive regenerative capabilities. My body was able to track the critical injuries and use secondary triggers when it registered critical damage. The muscles near all my major organs, along with my central nervous system, lymphatic system and adrenal glands were able to use idle chemicals in my own body to stimulate the body's healing reaction.

I heard Adam choke back a laugh, and Megan shot him an indignant look. I merely shrugged, told her it was nice to finally meet her, with a touch of sarcasm, and left the laboratory, not waiting for her to dismiss me. I was not about to let this woman touch me and "experiment" on me. I heard Adam follow me immediately and knew that would infuriate Megan Reed to no end. I didn't even hear him say goodbye.

My pace was brisk as I exited the lab. Adam and I rode the lift in silence, and I was aware of him shooting me glances every now and again but I ignored him. I was a little irritated at him. I didn't appreciate Megan Reed's disrespect, and expected him to, at the very least; call her out on that. I was therefore, surprised, when he continued to follow after we reached the floor to my lodgings. I continued to ignore him as I used the keycard to open my door. He merely lounged against the door frame and watched me attempt to tidy my room, which was kept neat and tidy anyway, due to my military background. I felt his eyes on me as I went around the room. He made a coughing sound in the back of his throat which I had come to learn meant he wanted to speak. I made a little huffing sound but turned around. I still wasn't ready to forgive him but I also wasn't going to sulk.

"Yes, Adam? Now you want to say something?" Said in a slightly sarcastic tone, but he remained infuriatingly calm, merely raising his eyebrow at my tone.

"So that meeting went well" Adam said in a deceptively mild voice. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Megan Reed is a bitch" I stated, deadpan. I held my breath. She might be a bitch, but she was still his ex. Adam stared at me, and for a split second I thought I'd overstepped. However, he just laughed.

"Yes, she is. And before you ask, I decided it was best that you suss out and deal with Megan yourself, without my interference. I know Megan. If I had stuck up for you or given her any indication that you couldn't look after yourself she would have eaten you alive. Now, you may not have her respect, but you at least have the knowledge that you can hold your own with her. Megan likes to put people in their place and she relies on her intellect to do it. At least she knows that she can't pull her scientific shit on you because you're just as informed as she is".

I had to admit, I was a little mollified by his explanation. Adam wasn't a cruel person and it was unlike him to see someone taken advantage of and not step in. His explanation made sense, and it allowed me to see that behind that stoic, silent exterior he saw a lot more than people gave him credit for.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Sarif and Adam had concocted a cover story for why I was, essentially, living at Sarif Industries. Apparently, I was a distant relation to Sarif. I had an agoraphobia problem and would now be living and working at Sarif Industries. Other staff members had no issues with this. If you're the eccentric owner of a billionaire company, it stands to reason you'd be okay with having relations live and work under the same roof.

Adam and I had spent almost every day of the last few months together and I had begun to rely on his friendship. At first, he was a hard man to get to know. He gave very little away and answered almost no personal questions. It was only after I had begun to get to know the other staff around the office that I finally gleaned some information about Adam. I didn't ask, staff loved to gossip and were more than happy to fill me in on Adam and Megan's past. I had learnt that Megan and Adam were together for four years before their split. Adam was a police officer with S.W.A.T and they had met when he was still employed by the Police Force. After Adam had refused an order to take down an augmented teenager he was dismissed from the service. Megan had played a huge part in Sarif hiring Adam to become Head of Security. They had broken up due to Megan seeming to be more committed to her work than to Adam. However, staff speculated that despite their breakup at the time, Adam was still deeply in love with Megan and was devastated by her "death". He had been ruthless in trying to track down her killers, and Adam was the only reason Megan and her team were found. There was even speculation that Megan was only keeping up the pretence of being captured and was actually working for the people who had abducted her. Office gossip allowed me to fill in a lot of the blanks.

Despite the difficulties in getting to know him, it was Adam who regularly sought out my company. At first, I'm sure it was because he felt sorry for me. It would start off as small visits. He would come in the morning and bring me a coffee he'd purchased on his way to work. He had one for himself and he would spend a few minutes idly chatting with me. I admit that I was apprehensive at first. Adam was a very intense person, and didn't do a lot to make people feel at ease. It wasn't just his height, although at 6 foot 3 inches he was certainly tall enough to tower over most people, it was also his sheer mass. His augmentations were more extensive than I'd ever seen on one singular person. He had a commanding presence and when he looked at you it was with an intensity that was unnerving at times. He was also incredibly good looking. That, more than anything, made me feel nervous when I was around him. I'd had a few different lovers in the past, but none even held a candle to the attraction and pull I felt towards Adam. I'm not sure why but even early on in our friendship I trusted him and felt this strange bond with him. Even feeling a little unsure when I was with Adam, I was careful never to let it show. I wanted him to think we were on even footing and not once did he do anything to make me question that. It would have been so easy for him to feel superior, with his height, physical strength and augmentations, but he never seemed to feel that way. In fact, I got the impression that Adam, if not hated, then severely disliked the fact that he was augmented.

As time went on, I felt more comfortable in Adam's presence. He began to open up more, and I learnt that along with his devastating good looks, he had a quick mind and a dry sense of humour. I also spent a lot of time observing people around him. When Adam was in the room he commanded attention and people tended to defer to him. He was a natural leader and I could see he would have been a brilliant cop. His security personnel treated him with the deference he deserved, and other office workers were wary but respectful.

I didn't spend my time idle and trapped in my room. Besides my skill in combat, I also knew my way around computers. When I mentioned my desire to brush up on my hacking skills, Adam had smiled slightly and had brought me to meet a snarky little computer specialist named Pritchard. Frances Pritchard was head of the cyber-security division of Sarif Industries. He was also a reclusive, sarcastic asshole. He was no doubt brilliant at his job, but his people skills left a lot to be desired. When I asked Adam if we could be introduced, I swore I heard him mumble, "It's your funeral". I was a little perplexed at that comment until I met the analyst.

Walking into Pritchard's office with Adam, we both saw he was on a phone call and he irritably waved us off. I turned to leave but Adam stood his ground. This gave me an opportunity to look around Pritchard's office. There were at least a dozen computer screens, all fluctuating between different measurements and graphs. A shelf was stacked with a number of different binders and books about computer technology. What interested me the most was a motorbike, with parts strewn across the office. I wandered over and inspected the machine. I didn't touch anything before I heard an annoyed noise from Pritchard and looked up startled, to see him waving me irritably away. I held my hands up in the universal sign of surrender and moved away. I studied Pritchard while he was on the phone. He wore a black leather jacket with dusty coloured orange stripes. He had black hair that he wore in a ponytail, and allowed a fringe to brush across his eyes. He wore a beige rollneck sweater underneath and I had to wonder how he didn't boil in this stuffy office. His features were taught, like he was permanently pissed off. When Pritchard finished his conversation he glared at both Adam and myself.

"What do you want Jensen? Unlike others I have work to do and can't take time off to play tour guide". Pritchard, whose voice was nasal, grated on my nerves, was obviously a person who got straight to the point.

Adam shrugged, unconcerned, obviously used to the analysts tone. "I just wanted you to meet Madison. She needs some software and a computer upgrade."

"Well, I'll get right onto that", Pritchard stated, rolling his eyes.

During Adam and Pritchard's exchange I had noticed a framed picture he had of The Elder Scrolls game series. I piped up "That's an Elder Scrolls poster right? Did you like Skyrim or Morrowwind?"

Pritchard blue eyes narrowed and he sniffed. "Morrowwind of course, it's a classic".

We then spent the next ten minutes talking about The Elder Scrolls, a game I had loved as a kid. In Pritchard's eyes, despite my association with Adam, I couldn't be too bad if I liked Skyrim and he promised he'd give me the upgrades as soon as he could.

When we left the office, Adam was shaking his head, obviously amused. "I have never seen Francis so animated. He might have a crush".

I laughed at that. "No offence, but Pritchard's not my type."

Adam raised his eyebrow, pressing the lift so that he could return to his office. "What is your type?" he asked, tilting his head.

I was suddenly uncomfortable. Adam Jensen was my type but I wasn't sure I could reveal that. The doors pinged and he stepped inside the lift, waiting expectantly for my answer.

"Tall, dark and augmented", I answered as the doors almost closed, and had the delight to see his shocked expression turn into a full blown smile. It was the first time I had seen such a genuine smile from him that I couldn't help but smile back. It was then that I realised that I was grinning like a fool at a closed lift door, and turned around, feeling better than I had for weeks.

A few weeks into my stay at Sarif Industries, Adam had suggested that we do a light workout and sparring session together. I had asked to have access to a gym to keep myself in shape and Adam had walked me to the gym his security personnel used. It had all the equipment a normal gym would use, plus extras. It was perfect and I spent a few hours a day working out. I think it was my interest in fitness that had Adam suggesting we spar together. He had said he had watched me fight against those gangbangers and would be interested to see how the two different augmentation technologies compared in battle.

The room that Adam ushered me into was obviously the room he used to train his own security personnel. It took up the entire floor of one of the sublevels. It was equipped with a range of devices useful for operational training, such as mats for sparring, weapons which had been modified for training purposes, and a number of ropes hanging from the ceiling and an obstacle course. It had an overpowering scent of sweat, and I wrinkled my nose as I entered. Adam noticed and laughed at my reaction.

"Don't worry, I can smell it too. Non-augmented humans have no idea how lucky they are that they don't have an enhanced sense of smell. Gyms and training rooms are the worst on the olfactory senses. You'll get used to it." Adam grinned. I suppose I'd have to trust him on that.

I wore a pair of black yoga pants, comfortable sneakers and a sports top. Adam had left his usual attire behind, namely his favourite black coat, and was decked out in black pants and a tight black t-shirt. It was the first time that I'd actually had the opportunity to see both his cyber-arm prosthesis. He normally wore his coat around the office and rarely let anyone see the extent of his augmentations. As he set up I was able to have a good look at him. His arms were extremely well built and despite the fact that they were black, they moved and resembled a muscled human arm. Sarif had certainly given him top of the range augmentations. I was also looking at Adam in a completely strategic way. Studying the way he moved, I had been able to calculate his approximate reach, estimate the power behind him, and was able to work out a strategy of attack.

The only part of my body that wasn't nano-technology was my cranial and optical implants. Nano-technology had not yet been developed for the brain, so in order for the Military Scientists to allow me to keep up with the other Augs; they had used an "old school" augmentation device. Implanted in my cranium was a dedicated microcomputer module featuring a series of processors and databases, programmed with multiple analysis systems. It fed real time data straight onto my optical nerve and projected that data onto my eyes. The only indication I was using this software was a faint golden glow around the outline of my pupil. The Augmentation came with hacking software and the ability to use a type of radar similar to sonar. I was able to use noise to locate enemy combatants and pinpoint their precise locations. I also had the same C.A.S.I.E social implant as Adam which relayed environmental and personal data about an individual which could be useful in combat.

Such was my concentration on the data scrolling through my retinal display that I had failed to notice when Adam had turned around. He was staring at me with a polite expression on his face. I blinked and the scrolling data faded away. My cheeks lit up red in embarrassment as it had looked like I was checking him out. Before I could muster a response though, he interjected "I meant to ask, what is that golden ring around your pupils? I noticed it the night we met, and a few times since then".

So I explained it to him. He seemed surprised at first. "So why are your eyes different? Mine were completely replaced".

"The Military are far more advanced than you realise. They were able to synthesise my optical nerve with an advanced augmentation so that I was able to keep my eyes. It's basically the same augmentation you have" Adam had nodded at my explanation, but I couldn't fail to notice the sadness in him. Over the last few months the occasional comment he'd let slip had led me to believe that his extensive augmentations were more of a burden to him than anything else. He never complained it was just the small comments that he made that allowed me to read between the lines and see how his augmentations were more of a burden than an advantage to him.

When he was finished setting up we met in the middle of the room, an arm's length from each other. Adam was slightly wary. Despite my assurances that he wouldn't break me, and that I'd been through far worse than a sparring match with a friendly Aug, he seemed reluctant to make the first move. He had handed me a metal training baton which would allow us to spar without the need for exchanging physical blows to each other's body. I understood his reluctance, but for years I'd been treated as a Military punching bag and his hesitation to make any kind of move annoyed me. I wasn't a girl to be coddled and I would soon change his mind if he felt that way.

So I ran at him. He seemed completely taken aback by my strategy and just stood there. I slid smoothly onto my knees on his right side, stood up behind him and used the training rod to slap his back. This propelled him forward, and he stumbled slightly to stay upright. By the time he had turned around I was upright, leaning on the end of my stick. He tilted his head to the side and the side of his mouth curved.

"Like I said, I won't break Adam. I'm quicker, stronger and tougher than I look. You suggested we spar, don't back out now."

We spent the next hour testing each other's strength and weaknesses. Despite his height and extensive augmentations, I found we were surprisingly evenly matched. Our speed, strength, physical prowess and understanding of martial arts allowed us to flow together like a well-rehearsed dance. It was exhilarating fighting an opponent so well versed in combat. Adam eventually relaxed and saw that I wasn't a porcelain doll, and that I actually knew what I was doing. He eventually called a halt to our sparring session. Neither of us was necessarily out of breath, but we were breathing a little heavier than usual.

When Adam stopped the sparing session he found himself beyond impressed with Madison's skill. It was obvious she had been trained by professional combatants. He was also surprised by the sheer strength in her small body. The nano-augmentation process had instilled in her the strength and speed which matched those with augmentations. Truth be told, Adam had wanted to see her in action. He had been impressed with the small time he had seen her fight, and wanted to assess her against his own skill. He admitted to himself that he had been hesitant at first. He knew that his own strength was a burden and made him hyper aware that even the smallest touch could possibly hurt another. With Madison he honestly felt that he could finally relax around one person. Squeezing her hand would not cause it to break and he felt the oddest sense of relief.

Over the months that he had gotten to know Madison, his feelings toward her had gradually changed. Since first meeting her, and hearing about her own story, which was eerily similar in parts to his own, he had always respected her. Those initial feelings of respect had turned into feelings of genuine warmth and eventual friendship. Madison had a sharp intellect that he appreciated. His ex, Megan, was also very intelligent, but unlike Megan, Madison didn't look down on other people because of this. When she had put Megan in her place, by not only understanding her scientific jargon, but had rebutted her using that same terminology, Adam's respect for her increased. Her handling of Pritchard had made him laugh outright. He had never expected her to diffuse the icy demeanour that Pritchard held around himself like a safety blanket. Her sharp intellect made for a biting wit, and was so subtle others often didn't even notice they'd been insulted until they went away to think over the conversation. Madison was never deliberately unkind; she spoke her mind, and showed respect to others who did the same to her. Adam was also increasingly aware of the attraction he felt for her. He wasn't sure, but he liked to think he did a good job of hiding it. Since the breakdown in his relationship with Megan and his subsequent augmentation, Adam hadn't even considered getting into another relationship. Megan had done such a fantastic job of destroying his faith in others that he didn't even know if he could possibly even have another relationship. So it came as a huge surprise that he felt not only an attraction to this girl, but he also had begun to trust her.

This woman had managed to walk into his life and completely turn everything upside down. He found himself smiling, which was a real a rarity for him. He had even begun talking about himself with her. She was a great listener, and had some stimulating insights. The fact that his body's urges began to make themselves known was the hardest part. Madison didn't seem the slightest bit fazed that half of his body was metal, and Adam was honest enough with himself that it was his own insecurities that would hold him back in this area. Each day brought him closer with Madison, and Adam found that it was getting harder and harder to deny not just his attraction, but his real feelings for her.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Months had passed without incident. At first, I had expected Sarif Industries to be stormed by heavily armed Augmented Military super soldiers. When this didn't happen, I allowed myself to relax slightly. Despite David Sarif's initial distrust of me, I eventually became so commonplace that he even offered me a job. With my permission, Adam had informed Sarif of my Military background. Sarif had questioned me extensively about the nano-augmentation part of my capture. I had told him as much as I could about the procedures, my understanding of how nano-technology worked, but I was unable to give him the exact science. Despite taking my blood, Sarif's scientists had been unable to replicate the technology. In all honesty I didn't believe that they would. Sarif Industries may be one of the world's leaders in Augmentation technology, but when it came to nano-augmentation they were light years behind. It took the Military years to perfect this science. Also, I knew that my body had completely assimilated the technology to the point where it would be almost impossible to distinguish between my own cells and those that had been enhanced by the nano-augmentation process. I felt a twinge of guilt at this. I knew from the beginning Sarif's scientists would have a hard time cracking the nano-augmentation gene, as it was only my own special DNA which had allowed such seamless assimilation between them. To be honest, I didn't want nano-technology to be readily available just yet. The fact that humans could be enhanced by metal had caused enough of a stir, without the world knowing about a far deadlier technology.

Sarif had seemed impressed with my resume and had asked if I would be willing to work with Adam as part of his security team. I actually leapt at the chance. Being couped up inside Sarif Industries was stifling at times and I really wanted to be able to help those who had sheltered me and given me my life back. It would also put me in close proximity to Adam. Over the last few months we had spent every few days sparring, learning from each other and increasing our skill set. We both had a lot to learn from each other. We also had a lot of fun together. Only those who had been trained in combat could truly understand what it was like to go up against an opponent of equal skill. It was also the only time that we could actually touch each other and not feel awkward. As time had gone on, I'm not sure how it happened but we both became aware of how each other felt but neither of us made a move.

It was during one particular training session, towards the end of my stay at Sarif Industries that our undeniable attraction came bubbling to the surface. We had been training hard for well over two hours. The major perks of being augmented was the increased stamina and lack of fatigue in even the most arduous of tasks. We liked to use different training strategies to keep us from getting used to each other's style, and to mix things up a bit. Some days we would spar with no weapons, other days, we could use whatever weapon was available. Usually we only had one weapon in the area, and we would both have to fight to get it.

Today, I was the only one who was using a weapon, a training pole, and Adam was forced to defend himself, against my barrage of attacks. We'd both agreed that we would have one last round before calling it a day. Adam had managed to disarm me a few times, but I had also managed to bundle him up against the wall, and had even swept him off his feet once. In the last round he came at me as a southpaw. I was so distracted by this manoeuvre, as for months I was so used to his right hand fighting style that he managed to bundle me up against the wall. He had me so effectively trapped that I was unable to move my arms. I'm not even sure how he did it but one minute I was lunging at him, the next I found myself against the wall, with both arms trapped behind my back in one of his unbreakable grips. He had also stuck one leg between both of mine, trapping me so that if I moved he would be on top of me is seconds.

I grinned at him "Nice move". He still hadn't let go, and as he was proving a point. Adam had said that he would definitely win the next round. I had scoffed at him, tartly stating "You've only managed to disarm me a handful of times, I don't see you pulling any new moves this late in the game". He'd merely given me that half smile that I found incredibly sexy and walked off.

Now, he'd not only managed to disarm but had won our sparring match, much to my chagrin. He was still holding on to my arms, and we both became aware of how intimate our positions were at the same time. I felt him stiffen for a second but he didn't pull away. He snapped his glasses back so that I could see his eyes. Being this close to Adam was exhilarating. I could feel the hardness of his muscles, and he only had to bend his head and he would be able to kiss me. I swallowed and licked my lips at that thought. Adam's eyes followed the movements, and then his gaze snapped back to my face. His eyes searched mine. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but whatever it was he seemed satisfied. He slowly bent his head towards mine, giving me every opportunity to pull away. I didn't, instead I leaned in to meet him half way. Our lips met and I was surprised by the softness. I felt his beard scratch against me, but that only seemed too add to the myriad of other sensations I was feeling. Adam deepened the kiss and I felt his tongue seeking entrance. I opened my mouth further and felt his tongue twirl with mine. I groaned at that, especially when I felt Adam's own arousal press against my stomach. He let go of one of my arms to cradle the back of my head with his hand. I used this opportunity to snake the free hand around his back and pull him even closer. The friction of the movement caused Adam to groan in return as I felt his hips grind against mine.

If it wasn't for the discreet cough we heard I'm not sure where that kiss would have led. Adam wrenched his lips from mine and spun around assuming a defensive position. Adam's body relaxed and I heard him make an annoyed sound in the back of his throat. I side stepped Adam to see who had interrupted us. I breathed a heavy sigh when I saw who it was. Richard Cheese, Megan's assistant, was standing at the entrance to the training room. I wanted to wipe that lecherous smile off of his face and knew without a doubt that he would march right back to Megan Reed and tell her what he saw.

"What do you want Richard?" Adam asked in a cold tone.

I saw Richard blink at Adam's tone, but the slow smile that spread across his rat like features had me tense up.

"I was sent down to collect you Adam. Doctor Reed has a few upgrades for you. But I'll tell her you were…otherwise engaged." The leer on Richard's face combined with the emphasis on the words 'otherwise engaged', left no doubt as to exactly what he would be telling Reed. I heard Adam growl, and saw his hands clench into fists as he took a menacing step towards Richard. The kid stepped back and practically ran back out the door. It was a small consolation.

Adam turned back around and rubbed the back of his head, but he wasn't looking at me. I wasn't sure whether he regretted kissing me or that he regretted we were caught. I winced slightly at the scowl on his face. I watched as Adam stood with his hands on his hips, face pointed slightly away from me. I bit the inside of my mouth. The continued silence from him was beginning to irritate me.

He looked at me, finally, and said simply, "I'm sorry", with a slight shrug of his shoulder.

It wasn't what I expected him to say, and I felt my mouth open in surprise. I shut it quickly and tried to sort out my thoughts. I ground my teeth together in anger, assuming he was apologising for kissing me.

So I responded in a sarcastic tone, "No problems, I can see why you wouldn't want to make a habit of it". I could feel my cheeks redden as my anger and embarrassment increased. I realised I hadn't kissed anyone in over seven years, but it couldn't have been that bad. I mean, I had _felt_ that he had enjoyed the experience.

Adam frowned. I saw him slowly shake his head in the negative. "No. That's not what I meant. I'm sorry about Richard's rude behaviour." He stopped and smiled at me. It was one of those rare smiles that made my toes curl. "In fact I'm sorry we got interrupted".

"Oh" was all I managed to say. I'd jumped to the wrong conclusion, and now felt far more embarrassed than when I'd thought he didn't enjoy the kiss. I felt the need to explain myself.

"I thought you meant you were sorry that we'd kissed at all. And that you regret that 'Ratboy' had seen us together, because now he'll go running to Megan to tell her about what he saw. I just wasn't sure what you meant" I finished lamely.

Adam had snorted at my pet name for Richard. "Megan and I aren't together. We haven't been for years. I don't give a damn what she thinks. My concern is that she'll just be even more of a bitch to you." He shrugged, irritated. "I have no feelings for Megan whatsoever." Adam snapped his glasses back into place. "Come on, let's get lunch, I'm starving".

Adam was obviously uncomfortable discussing his past with Megan, but the fact that he had opened up and explained himself for my benefit gave me a warm glow inside. It actually felt like we were getting somewhere, and finally progressing past the friendship stage. That thought made me smile as I followed Adam's broad back out of the training room.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 (Sexual Scenes)

It was after a long few months cooped up inside Sarif Industries that I had broached the topic of living outside, in my own space. Adam, Sarif and I had spent some time discussing the technicalities involved with this. Both were worried that as soon as I made my presence known to the outside world, the Military would become aware and would try to capture me. I was chafing at the bit, and needed my own space. In the end I only asked as a formality, and although both men were less than thrilled with the idea, both recognised that I had a right to my independence. As it happened, Adam made a suggestion which suited all of us, and eased some of their fears. A studio on the same floor of his own apartment complex had suddenly become available.

I narrowed my eyes at Adam as he casually dropped this piece of information into the discussion. He gazed back at me innocently, and gave a half shrug like my suspicions were completely unfounded.

I was sceptical to say the least, and I'm sure my tone conveyed this. "So it just so happens that the same week I'm looking for lodging, an apartment opens up, not just in your building, but on the same floor as you? And how do you know I can afford it?"

Sarif simply waved this concern away. "Don't worry, Sarif Industries will pay for it".

I smiled at Sarif in thanks. "I appreciate that, but I am actually quite capable of affording it myself. After my Father died, he left me a huge inheritance. Not to mention the money I earned during my Military days." I held up a hand to stave off their protests. "I know my accounts will be monitored, and that's why I won't be accessing those accounts. I have offshore accounts that aren't even in my name. It's those that I'll be accessing."

Adam and Sarif just stared at me in silence. "I know. It's very James Bond to have hidden bank accounts, but my Father always taught me to have backup plans for your backup plans, even for your finances. Trust me; they have no knowledge of these accounts".

So that night I purchased the apartment directly opposite of Adam. I took a quick look around the place with the Realtor, and signed the lease immediately. The apartment was fantastic. We were on the highest floor and the view was incredible. The apartment was of a medium size and was spacious enough for one person. There was one bedroom and bathroom, and the living, dining and kitchen area were all adjoined. The hardwood floors were a lovely cherry wood colour. The ornate window dressings, tiles in the kitchen, and all the other fixtures were brand new. I honestly couldn't believe my luck.

Over the next week I also spent time ordering furniture off the Internet. I had to admit, furnishing my apartment from scratch was a lot of fun. Some of the newer 2028 designs were a little bold for my taste so I kept my furnishings classic rather than contemporary. By the end of the next week I had all the furniture delivered. All of my furniture was in place, but it looked bare. All the little knick-knacks that people accumulate over a lifetime were missing. It didn't worry me though. Over time I would find pieces that fit with my personality. Now, I was just happy to have the basics.

Since the kiss in the Training Room, Adam had not made another move towards me, and part of me believed that it had just been a figment of my imagination. A few days after moving in to my new apartment, Adam and I kind of fell into a routine. He would knock on my door in the morning, and then we would walk to work together. It wasn't that far, and we both walked at a brisk pace. The first day he had offered to drive me to work using one of Sarif's business cars. I had made a counter offer and asked if he'd like to walk. That seemed to please him. When I asked he said that he actually walked to and from work every day.

We were comfortable enough in each other's presence that we both didn't feel the need to fill in the silences. We did talk though. The walk to work I enjoyed the most. Adam was a morning person and he liked to chat during our morning walks. He was a gentleman as well. He always opened doors for me. I found it quite endearing. He would also put a hand to the small of my back to usher me inside a door, and I had to stop myself from shivering at this most basic touch. Ever since that kiss, it had ignited a flame inside me that could not be put out by anyone but Adam.

So it was, a few weeks after moving in, that I found myself cooking and decided to invite Adam over for dinner. I usually cooked something special for myself every Friday night after work. It was a treat for myself after working all week. It would usually be something like veal cordon bleu, lobster, beef goulash or anything that took my fancy. That night I was cooking a few steaks, and had made a salad on the side. The thought occurred to me to invite Adam over. It was such an innocent thought; I honestly didn't think it would be a kind of date. I was even halfway to my door before I stopped dead in my tracks. Dinner with some wine might make Adam think I'd brought him over to trap him into a date. That wasn't even my intention at all. Adam had said that he mainly subsisted on take out, and I thought it'd be nice to cook for him. I stood staring at my silver door handle for at least 10 minutes, having an internal debate with myself about the pros and cons of asking Adam to dinner. Eventually, I mentally shook myself and decided to just ask him. If he declined I would try and not take it personally.

So with purpose I marched out of my apartment and over to his door. I rapped on it a few times and waited. When he answered the door, I saw that he'd obviously just showered, his hair was still wet, and he wore a casual t-shirt.

"Hey" he smiled at me. He poked his head out the door looking both ways down the passageway. "Everything ok?"

It was now or never. "Hi. Yeah, everything's fine." The next few words came out in a rush. I don't think I even took a breath through the entire sentence. "I just had some steaks on and I brought more than I should, and I know you eat take-away a lot, and if you want you can come over and have some, but it's okay if you have plans, I just thought I'd ask".

He gave me a bemused look. "Actually, that'd be great. I was just about to order take out. I haven't had a home cooked steak in years".

And so that Friday night Adam and I sat down to dinner. He sat relaxed, lounging in a chair at the dining table. He had offered to help, but I had declined. I was very pedantic about my cooking and who frequented my kitchen, and besides, he was a guest. I was anxious when I set down the plate. I had made both our steaks medium rare, without asking how he preferred his. I likened him to medium rare kind of guy. I watched him surreptitiously as he chewed his first piece. He raised his eyebrow at me and swallowed.

"Where did you learn to cook? This is amazing". I breathed a sigh of relief then laughed. "My Mother was a chef. She taught me all her culinary skills". I shrugged, suddenly feeling a rush of emotions at the mention of my mother. Adam must have noticed a change in my demeanour because he stated, "You rarely mention your Mother. Is she still alive?"

I shook my head sadly, not willing to meet his gaze. "No. She…passed away." I hesitated. "Actually, she died in a car crash a few weeks after my Father was murdered. I might be paranoid but now, knowing what I do, I wonder if it was an accident. I had no other family besides my mother, and I wonder now whether the Military staged the accident so that I would have no outside influence and no one to care if I went missing."

I lifted my shoulder in an agitated half shrug. I'd never voiced those suspicions before and it surprised me that I was telling Adam. The weeks after my Mother's funeral was filled with well-meaning friends who looked at me with pity filled eyes. I was filled with anger and grief and I couldn't stand the pity that was directed towards me. I looked up at Adam, expecting to see pity in his eyes. Instead, he learned over, covered my hand with his metallic one and said simply "I'm sorry". There was no pity just sadness in his eyes. I appreciated his simple acknowledgment of my grief.

I did learn that Adam's parents had also passed away, but that had been years ago. It was just another aspect that bonded us. We were both orphans, alone in this world without a parent. The rest of the meal, however, was spent talking about other, light-hearted topics. Adam spent time catching me up on the things I had missed over the last seven years, such a movies, world headlines etc. I was completely relaxed in his company. We had a lot in common, but also enough of a difference to keep things interesting.

The meal ended and I was cleaning up when I was interrupted by a knock on the door. I frowned, glancing at the clock. It was quarter to nine, a little late for visitors. Not that I knew anyone who would pay me a visit. Opening the door I saw the smiling face of a man. I was about to open my mouth and ask what he wanted. I shut it quickly when I saw his hand come around from behind his back, holding a dart gun. He was in the process of pointing it towards me. I grabbed his hand and smashed it into the doorframe. I heard him grunt in pain, as he dropped the gun. He recovered quickly and tried to punch me. I twisted to the side, hearing Adam's chair scrape as he got up. Before I could do anything else, three more men came up behind him, and pushed their way into the apartment. They both looked surprised at Adam being there. As I grappled with the man in front of me, two split off to deal with Adam. I heard something smash behind me and distracted and worried about Adam I turned around. The other guy managed to get a punch in, and pain exploded in my ribs. It was then I realised the guy was augmented, as I saw a flash of silver where his hand should be. Wheezing I backed up. Fighting off the two of them was difficult in such a small space. I was skilfully being pushed back into the apartment. They worked in tandem, trying to outmanoeuvre me. I managed to smash one man's head on a piece of furniture so hard blood erupted from his temple. He was dead before he hit the floor. Seeing his comrade go down, the other guy launched himself at me, and I was sent sprawling backwards, trying desperately to keep myself upright. I felt my knees hit something, but with my momentum I was unable to grab anything and fell right into the centre of the glass coffee table.

I grunted as I felt shards of glass embed themselves into my back. The guy appeared over me, pulling out his dart gun, but before I could react, Adam came up behind the man looming over me and snapped his neck. I had fallen inside the coffee table, and was trying to get out without further injury. Adam leaned down and grabbed my arm to pull me up to my feet. It was a bit awkward, as my legs were dangling over the edge of the coffee table and I couldn't get a grip. In the end he just used his incredible strength and hauled me straight up.

I sucked in a breath when the broken glass embedded in my skin was jostled. Adam frowned and gently turned me around. I grimaced as his fingers explored by back. "The glass is in pretty deep. I'll need to get it out". He turned around and surveyed the room. "Friends of yours?" he asked, nudging the leg of the closest dead body. I stepped around him and took a closer look. I gasped as I recognised the seal on his augmented arm.

"What?" Adam asked, whipping to face the front door and immediately assuming a defensive position.

"It's this mark, on his augmented arm", I stated, pointing to it. Adam bent down and lifted the arm with the mark. "What about it?" he asked confusion obvious.

I sighed. "It's Baldwin's mark. Colonel Baldwin was in charge of the Military Augmentation Division. All those who served under him were required to be augmented and carried his seal. It means he knows where I am."

From his crouched position I saw Adam's jaw clench. "Fuck", he stated. I agreed with him. He stood up, gently putting a hand on my shoulder and directed me to the door. "We have to get that glass out of your back and then we'll think about our next move".

Adam directed me towards his apartment. He locked my door and ushered me inside his apartment, sitting me on the kitchen stool while he disappeared into another room. I had not said a word since entering his apartment. In truth thoughts raced through my head. I had been found, and was desperately worried that the life I had made here would be snatched away. Adam came back and opened a first aid kit, removing a large pair of tweezers. He then began to methodically remove the shards of glass embedded in my back. I sat still. It hurt, but I'd certainly had worse.

"You might need stitches" Adam remarked from behind me. I shook my head. "I'll be fine; my body will heal as soon as you get the glass out."

I could feel Adam hovering behind me and I craned my neck to see what was wrong. He was rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, a sign I knew meant he was uncomfortable. "What Adam?" I asked, perplexed.

"I, uh, your shirt". He stopped, blew out a breath and started again. "I'm sorry, but some shards are too small for me to get to. Can you, I mean, if you're comfortable, take your shirt off so I can get to them?" He studiously avoided my eyes and I snorted in amusement.

"Relax Adam; I don't think you're going to take my virtue". Adam laughed at that and relaxed. I took my shirt off and allowed Adam to get the rest of the shards out. I heard an intake of breath, and whipped my head around. "What? What is it?" I asked, trying to see my back, thinking something was wrong.

Adam reached out to grip my shoulder to keep me still. "Nothing. It's just; you're cuts are healing right in front of my eyes. Your wound is closing up, it's just weird to see". Adam was extremely gentle, and I marvelled at how his hands, capable of such strength and violence, were now so tender and accommodating. When he finished picking out the last pieces of glass, I felt the tips of his fingers trace the outline of my wound. I shivered at that. I turned around and said "Adam..."

I didn't even finish before his lips claimed mine. The kiss we had shared in the training room had been intense, but this kiss, now, builds up that fire that he lit by that kiss in the training room. Adam deepened the kiss and I parted my lips to welcome his searching tongue as I slid my arms around his neck to pull him closer. I pulled myself forward on the stool until my knees were past his hips and I could feel his erection straining against his pants. He ground his hips into mine, and the warm length of his cock pressing into my clit made me shudder in pleasure.

I broke off the kiss to tug at his shirt. Adam took the hint and pulled it up over his head, flinging the shirt to the side. I slid my hands over the ridges of muscle on his stomach, and my eyes roamed over his toned body. The muscles in his six-pack tightened as my fingers trailed over them. I continue my exploration over his sculptured chest to cautiously feel the sockets in his chest and the smooth metal bar that joins his neck and shoulder. I feel Adam watching me and look up. His glasses are retracted and his expression is wary. I feel confused for a second, but that's when it hits me. I would put good money on the fact that Adam had not been intimate with anyone since his augmentation procedure. The way he was looking at me was like he expected me to pull away in horror.

I let my fingers trace over his collarbone and then down towards arms, over his biceps, never looking away. "Don't feel like you have to hide from me. I don't care that you're augmented". Adam searched my face, relief brimming in his eyes. He leant his head back down to kiss me again. This time I slid my tongue past his lips and I felt him groan in satisfaction. He reached around to undo my bra, and I gasp into his mouth when I feel him cup my breast and massage it. His lips pull away from my mouth so that he can lean down to suckle on a nipple. I groan when his tongue swirls around the areola. A surprised hiss escapes my mouth when he uses his teeth to pull on my nipple, while massaging the other breast. I arch my back so that he can get better access while grasping the back of his head. Eventually I get impatient and pull him up to kiss me again.

While still kissing him, I fumble with his belt, eventually whipping it free to let it drop to the floor. I can feel the bulge in his pants as I undo the zipper. I reach my hand down and stroke him inside his boxers. A groan tears itself from his throat and he jerks his hips forward. I gently slide his cock free of the confines of his pants and I hear him swear as I tighten my hand around the base of his cock and glide upwards. I smile, watching as he closes his eyes and groans when I glide up my hand up and down his cock a few times. His eyes open and he grabs my hand to still my movements.

"If you don't stop now I won't make it to the bedroom." He whispers. I shudder as his breath in my ear sends shivers down my spine. Adam guides my legs around his hips and he picks me up with no apparent effort. My hardened nipples press into his chest as he lifts me from the chair. He walks me towards his bedroom, swirling his tongue on my neck, and sucking hard enough to leave a bruise. I feel his legs bump against the bed and he steps back slightly to gently lower me to the floor.

He unbuttons my jeans and yanks them and my underwear to the floor. I'm now completely naked in front of him and his heated gaze roaming my body has heat pooling low in my belly. He steps forward and kisses me again. I can feel his fingers, feather light as he skates them over the side of my ribs. He moves his hand down so that his thumb can make circular motions over my hip. While his fingers are exploring my body, his mouth isn't idle; he uses his teeth and tongue to lick and nip along my jaw. Adam's hand explores further down, and his fingers feel like they leave scorch marks all over my body. He caresses the inside of my inner thigh and I make an impatient noise in the back of my throat. He's being a deliberate tease. He chuckles as he bites down hard on my collarbone.

"Adam", I rasp out, desire making my voice hoarse. I then feel his finger drag across my slick opening. I groan as he gently slips a finger inside, and buck my hips against his hand. "So wet" he growls while dragging his thumb over my clit. Adam's voice is also thick with desire and those two words almost made me come undone right there.

A whine escapes my throat when his finger withdraws. His hand on my hip guides me backwards and I scramble upwards on the bed. Adam follows me and covers my body with his own. He gives me a long, lingering kiss before he tears his mouth away to leave biting kisses on my neck. He proceeds further down my body. He licks and sucks first one nipple, then the other until I feel like screaming in frustration. Adam is aware of my frustrations but makes no move to speed up. He kisses his way down my stomach, stopping just short of his goal. He parts my thighs, and just when I thought I would find some relief he veers off to press kisses on my inner thigh.

Just when I was about to say something, I felt him shift and I jerked when I felt him slide his tongue from the bottom of my opening to the top. He curls one hand around my hip, fingers pressing tightly into my skin. He presses his tongue inside me and we both groan. My breath is coming in hitched gasps as I scrunch the sheets in my hand from the sheer pleasure of feeling his tongue inside me. Adam pauses briefly to lift my leg over his shoulder so he can slide his tongue deeper inside me. What he's doing with his tongue feels incredible and I can't concentrate on anything but the incredible pleasure he's giving me. My hips buck against his mouth and I'm vaguely aware of saying "God, don't stop, don't stop".

He doesn't, he just moves his attention higher, to circle my clit with his tongue. I moan when he slides two fingers inside of me and curls them slightly. He hits something sensitive and amazing and I rock my hips against his mouth. When he sucks on my clit and begins to move his fingers I lose all semblance of control. I can feel my orgasm building and my breath is coming in gasps. I vaguely hear myself beg him not to stop, but the roaring in my ears increase as does his pace. My orgasm crashes over me and I moan his name as I come. Adam doesn't stop sucking until the delicious after pulses subside, and I relax my knees.

I watch as he pushes himself back and pulls down his pants and boxers in one smooth motion. My eyes linger on his erection, and I lick my lips in anticipation. Adam is an impressive size, and I see a bead of pre-cum glistening on the end of his tip. He climbs his way back up on top of me and holds himself over my body with his strong arms. He kisses me again and I groan as I taste myself on his lips. His beard is wet from my juices, and as I trace my tongue around his lips, tasting myself on him, Adam groans. He flexes his hips against mine so that I can feel his cock slide against my slick entrance.

Balancing himself effortless on one arm he teasingly rubs my clit with his tip, and I grab his shoulder, gasping because it's so swollen and sensitive. I hear Adam chuckle slightly as he then uses his hand to situate his cock at my entrance. He enters me slowly, inch by inch, stopping every now and then to allow my body to get used to him. When he's sheathed to the hilt I scratch at his back, my body stretching further than it's used to in order to accommodate him. Adam must feel me tensing slightly because he stops and turns his head towards me. "You okay?"

I nod. "Just…go slow for a bit." It just feels a bit uncomfortable; after all it's been over seven years since I've had sex with anyone. He kisses me on the forehead in a surprisingly gentle gesture of acknowledgment and starts to move slowly. It isn't long before my body begins to relax and I adjust to the feel of him. I wrap one leg around him and squeeze him tighter against me. I shift my hips to allow him better access, and small bursts of pleasure take over the feeling of discomfort.

"Harder Adam" I manage to breathe, and he picks up the pace a bit, deepening his thrusts. Adam leans down to kiss me and our tongues twirl around each other. His breath is coming a little faster now but still controlled. Adam is nuzzling my neck, and the scratch of his beard is a delicious counterpoint to what he's doing with his hips. Adam thrusts faster now, but still with an incredible variation. Every so often he'll move his hips in a circular motion which makes me go crazy, and I can't help but wrap both legs around him, urging him to go faster and deeper.

I can feel the pressure build inside me again as Adam shifts slightly and snakes his hand between our bodies. His thumb brushing over my clit has my inner muscles spasm and I hear Adam groan as his cock is squeezed. Adam's finger rubbing tight circles over my clit has me biting my bottom lip. The sensations flooding my body are almost too much to bear. Digging my fingers into his shoulders I arch my back, moaning incoherently as Adam creates the exact pressure I need on my clit for my second orgasm of the night to come crashing over me.

Adam's thrusts become a little erratic when he pulls his hand away to support himself on two arms again. It's not long before Adam's own orgasm builds, and he gives one final thrust and I feel him stiffen as he comes; a harsh groan torn from his throat as I feel him emptying himself inside of me. He rolls his hips a few more times, riding out the last of his orgasm. We're both breathing heavily, and my heart is pounding in my ears. Adam leans down and kisses me, thrusting his tongue gently inside me. He leans his forehead against mine and our combined sweat mingles. He's still inside me, but pulls out when his breathing is under control.

Adam collapses next to me while I lay there, spent, slightly sore but in a pleasurable way. I'm surprised when Adam reaches out to pull me to him. I lay with my face on his chest, an arm wrapped around him, and one leg bent and entwined with his. He pulls the sheet up to cover both of us and I lay there listening to his heart return to its normal rhythm. We don't say anything, but we don't need to. Our coupling was amazing. It was even a nice surprise to find that Adam liked being close after sex. I fall asleep not long after that, feeling safest for the first time since I had awoken from the container.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Despite being attacked the previous night by unknown assailants, I slept surprisingly well. A small shaft of morning sunlight shining directly into the room wakes me up. I lay on my right side, blinking sleepily. I notice Adam's arm is wrapped around my naked waist and he's managed to wrap his large body in a perfect fit around mine. I smile and shift slightly. Adam tightens his arm around me, and I can feel his morning erection pressing against my backside. I smile again, and shift my bottom so that it rubs against his erection. He groans and tightens his grip. I turn around so that I can face him. I rub my hands over his chest, feeling muscle and scars.

"Morning. Sleep well?" I ask, running my hands over his stomach muscles. My hands float further down and I don't give him time to answer before I brush my hand over his erect cock. Adam gasps and I grin. "I'll take that as a yes", I respond. I bring my mouth up to kiss him, and push him back slightly so that Adam is forced to lay on his back. It's my turn to play this morning. The sheet has fallen off and his eyes roaming over my naked body make me want to take him now, but I forced myself to wait. I climb up on his stomach, letting the back of my bottom come into contact with his straining cock. He jerks his hips, but I ignore him. I lean down to nip at his nipple and hear Adam swearing under his breath. I shift so that I'm able to bite and lick my way down his stomach. Adam's gasps of pleasure are music to my ears as I pay particular attention to his scars, twirling my tongue around them.

When I get to his cock, I do nothing but breathe on it for a moment, letting him feel how frustrating it is to be at the end of a lovers tease. I can see it twitch from even that indirect contact. Adam's surprised gasp when I use my tongue to stroke from the very bottom of his shaft to the tip of his engorged penis is all the inspiration I need to then I swirl my tongue around the tip of his cock and taste the pre-com leaking from it. I take him into my mouth and he jerks his hips instinctively. I cup his balls and massage them gently. "Oh fuck" Adam grunts, and I can see he's gripping the sheets.

Because he's so large I can't take all of him into my mouth, so I reach my hand to his base and grip him there. I begin to bob my head up and down while keeping my hand around his base and stroking where I couldn't reach. My jaw was aching but I didn't care.

"Oh fuck, I'm gonna cum" Adam grunts, breathless. I increase my pace, and I feel his balls tighten just before his cock twitches and he moans, a deep guttural sound that I hear, as well as feel, vibrate along his body. From this angle I'm able to watch him when he comes. Adam's eyes are closed, and he jerks his hips as he empties himself in my mouth. He opens his eyes and watches as I swallow and slowly bring my mouth off his cock. When I get to the end, and slowly swirl my tongue over the tip of his cock, eyes locked with his, tasting him, he groans and reaches for me. I climb back up to fall back on the pillow next to him, smiling. Adam's breathing is laboured but returning to normal.

He leans over and kisses me, thrusting his tongue inside my lips, no doubt tasting himself on me. That thought makes me groan. "I'm going to shower. Join me if you feel up to it". This was said with a smile and a double meaning which I know he catches. A slow sexy smile spreads over his face. "I'm more than up to the challenge" Adam replies. I look down, eyebrows raised as even now I see his cock stirring to life again. Without another word I stroll toward the shower, aware of Adam's eyes on me.

Adam watches as Madison walks slowly around his bed and into the adjoining shower. He can feel his cock beginning to stiffen again. Fuck, what she could do with her mouth. Last night the sex between them had been electric. Adam was unsure whether Madison had wanted the evening to end up in bed. At first he was sure that her dinner invitation had been just that, and he was happy with that. Although when he had seen her be attacked and subsequently injured a primal force in him had made him want to claim her in the most primal of ways. He'd initiated the kiss, but she'd seemed more than happy to continue it.

It had been so long for Adam that the first thing he'd wanted to do was to bury his cock deep inside her and fuck her until she screamed for him. But first he'd needed to taste her. He groaned quietly as he remembered how she had tasted.

It was the first time he'd made love to someone since his augmentation procedure and her statement that she didn't care about his body being metal had meant more than she'd ever know. He had expected her to recoil when she had taken his shirt off, and when she didn't, but had reassured him that she didn't care, Adam begun to have the thought that he could love this woman.

After he heard the shower Adam got up, not able to wait any longer, and followed her in. He watched as she stood naked under the spray of the water, her head tilted back, eyes closed, as she ran her hands through her now wet hair. He was at the shower door in an instant, opening it and stepping inside. The shower was quite large and easily accommodated both of them. She had obviously heard his entrance but remained still. Her back was to him, and so he cleared away her wet hair from her shoulder and swirled his tongue around her bare neck. Seeing her naked and so ready for him made him impatient. He felt a growl escape his lips as he reached out to grab Madison, and spin her around so that he could push her against the shower wall. Water flowed over them like smooth silk. He crushed his mouth over hers and pushed her further into the wall, liking the feel of her erect nipples against his chest. He reached down to her opening and found her already wet for him. He slipped his middle finger inside her, his palm pressed against her clit. He swirled his fingers inside her, his every movement adding pressure to her clit with his palm. Madison's moans had his dick throbbing in response, especially when she writhed and moaned against his hand.

When he withdraws his finger from he hears Madison make an impatient noise and opens her mouth to vice her objections, but when he drops to his knees and shifts her legs slightly wider she shuts her mouth. He can see the lust burning in her eyes because of what he's about to do, so he shoots her a smile before kissing the inside of her thigh. She makes a startled noise when he bites her soft flesh. When he hooks her knee over his shoulder, she presses both hands to his shoulders to steady herself.

Adam finds himself looking up into her beautiful green eyes and saying "Relax, I've got you". He notices her relax and lean against the wall. He trails kisses from the outside to the inner part of her thigh, but bypasses her opening in favour of planting kisses on her other thigh. She reaches for the back of his head and takes a fistful of his hair. She must be getting impatient as she pulls on his hair and he finds himself groaning at the slight pain it causes. Before she can do anything else, he spreads her folds with his fingers and forcefully thrusts his tongue as far as he can into her moist depths. The way that she moans almost has him coming himself. Adam makes sure he takes his time, alternating between thrusting his tongue inside her and swirling it over her clit. Her moans of "yes" and "god, don't stop" make him smile, knowing he can bring her such pleasure. He can feel the tension in her building, and with one hand on her hip to steady her, he uses the other hand to reach up and rub tight circles around her clit while he opens his jaw as wide as he can so he can fuck her with his tongue. Her hips are bucking against him and when she screams his name, he can taste her excess juices as she orgasms.

As Adam withdraws his tongue from me, he sits back on his haunches, erection straining strait up, and making eye contact, he deliberately licks his lips. My breath catches at that. It was such a turn on, seeing Adam with his head between my thighs, watching while he thrust his tongue inside me. At that angle I could see his tongue disappear inside me and it was the most erotic experience I'd ever had. Adam stood up, and lifted me up against the wall so that he could position himself at my entrance. In one smooth flex of his hips he was inside me. I wrapped both legs around his hips. He held me effortlessly as he withdrew, almost to the tip and slammed back into me. Our coupling this time was filled with more urgency, more lust. After witnessing him devouring me I couldn't wait to feel his cock stretch and fill me. Every time Adam ground his hips into me, he was able to create a blooming pressure on my clit. I rolled my hips with him as he fucked me harder and faster. His head was near my shoulder and I could hear him grunt every time he thrust his cock into me.

I could feel the familiar pressure build and I hung onto him as tight as I could as he fucked me hard and fast me up against the wall. "Fuck Adam, don't stop I'm so close" I moaned before I let go and my orgasm burst, sending such intense pulses of pleasure that my vision actually became hazy. I could vaguely hear Adam groaning himself before he gave one final, heaving thrust and I felt the hot spurt of his come inside me. We stayed where we were, panting. Adam brought his head up to give me one final lazy kiss, before he slipped his softening cock out of me and set me gently on the floor.

We spent the next quarter hour in a sexual haze. We took the time to massage each other using the lather from the soap before we were rudely interrupted by Pritchard pinging Adam on his InfoLink. We could hear Adam's phone ringing a few times, but we so caught up in each other that we ignored it. When Adam lifted his head and asked the empty room "What is it Pritchard?", I looked around the bathroom in alarm, half expecting to see the tell-tale leather jacket Pritchard wore, standing in the shadows watching us in the shower. Adam made an amused noise at my misunderstanding and pointed to his ear. I bit my lip, trying not to laugh at the thought that we were being watched by a voyeuristic Pritchard.

While Adam was concentrating on Pritchard's side of the conversation I decided to have a little fun. Because it was a cochlear implant and not a normal ear receiver I couldn't hear the other side of the conversation. Adam wasn't paying the slightest attention to me so I began to stroke his cock. Adam made a strangled gasping sound, and wrapped his hand around my wrist, effectively stopping me from moving. Pritchard must have heard Adam make the noise as well, as Adam responded "None of your damn business Pritchard", before he clicked the piece to sign off. Adam narrowed his eyes at me, but the smile tugging at his lips meant he wasn't angry.

"What's wrong?" I ask. I wasn't referring to my actions; I was more asking why Pritchard had contacted him. Adam still held my wrist, but he let go when he responded.

"Those phone calls were from David. He wants us in the office. Now." Adam pushed his wet hair back in an agitated gesture. "He didn't say why. But when we both failed to answer our phones he had Pritchard contact me".

That was definitely a mood killer as it reminded us that we actually had a few things to deal with. As much as I would love to have spent the next day in bed with Adam, there were dead men in my apartment that needed to be dealt with. We were both dressed and ready to depart for Sarif Industries with a half hour. Adam had decided to talk to David before he disposed of the bodies.

Walking with Adam to Sarif Industries that day seemed different. We would walk past people, and I would notice a protective hand on my back, guiding me around a crowd. Sneaking a look at his face, I wasn't even sure he was consciously aware he was doing it, and it made my heart jump in my chest. After we stepped off the lift and into Sarif's office I froze. Adam almost ploughed into me, but his quick reflexes stopped him just in time. I gasped as I saw who was sitting in the chair opposite David Sarif.

If I had been paying attention instead of thinking about the night before, I would have caught his scent. Colonel Baldwin, sitting relaxed in the seat, head turned toward the door as he waited my entrance gave me a deceivingly relaxed smile, showing teeth. It was the smile I would expect on a shark, if they could smile, just before they bit you.

Baldwin's glance missed nothing. He noticed Adam's hovering presence behind my back and tracked his movements as he stood by my side, ready to react. He smirked at that and I had to ball my fists to stop myself from knocking that smirk from his face. I flicked my glance over to Sarif, who sat rigid in his chair. No one had said a word and the air was thick with tension. I swallowed, knowing I had to get myself under control and not show any weakness.

"Colonel" I stated, brusquely. Adam's head turned to look at me, eyebrows raised slightly. I shook my head slightly at his unasked question. I didn't want Adam to act before I knew what Baldwin's plans were.

I watched as Baldwin's smile grew wider at our silent exchange and my stomach dropped. I'd just given Baldwin an idea of our relationship. He probably suspected, but now he had confirmation. This was not good. I knew Baldwin would use those I loved against me. How he knew I was working for Sarif Industries was a mystery. I had been so careful in hiding my existence from the world.

After a lengthy pause, Baldwin finally spoke. "It's so lovely to see you again Madison. We were so worried when you went AWOL. We looked everywhere for you." Something glinted in his eyes, a hidden malice that made my skin crawl.

Colonel Baldwin was a man so average looking that you would not even give him a second glance in the street. He was of average height, with brown hair that was cut in the normal buzz cut the military preferred. He was slim, but deceptively wiry and strong. He was also extremely intelligent and perversely cruel. Before his retinal prosthesis his cold blue eyes saw everything and forgot nothing. After his implant it was actually a lot easier to look him in the eye. With his normal eyes there was something innately cruel hidden just beneath the surface. Baldwin was actually out of uniform, and I'm sure this was an attempt to disarm me. In actual fact it had the opposite effect, it made me see him as he was, just another human being with a lust for power.

Here this man sat, so calmly, after putting me through years of experimentation, and pushing me to the limits through deprivation exercises, pain and torture for his "research". Anger coursed through me and I could feel myself trembling. I knew Baldwin was aware of the physical reaction I was having, he also had a C.A.S.I.E social implant, and his Retinal Prosthesis would be feeding him data about my reaction to his presence. It took a lot of effort, but taking a few deeps breaths I calmed myself, getting my heart rate under control and carefully schooling my face into a blank expression.

"When we learnt you were alive, I just had to come and see you were alright" Baldwin drawled.

Baldwin had a southern twang which he attempted to reign in at times, when it suited him. However, there were other times, like now, when he used his accent to make a point. The point was he was false in his expression of concern and didn't bother to hide it.

"Is there something you wanted Colonel? I didn't expect you to step outside of your office for something as unimportant as my wellbeing." I asked, turning slightly to look out the window. I was in fact actually sneaking a quick look at Adam. Adam was practically humming with supressed violence. I could tell it was taking all his self-control to stand back and not snap Baldwin's neck.

"Why, my dear, you know you were an important part of my team. I came to take you back home where you belong".

Before I could even react, I heard the low growl that escaped Adam's mouth before he took a few menacing steps toward Baldwin, grabbed him by the throat and heaved him off the chair to slam him against the wall. Adam moved exceptionally fast, Baldwin barely had time to blink before Adam had him up against the wall. Baldwin was sputtering and his face was turning red before I reacted. I heard David's chair scrape as he sat up, alarmed. I rushed over to Adam, tugging at his arm. It was like trying to pull a steel pole out of the ground.

"Adam, stop. Let him go". It's not that I cared about Baldwin's wellbeing; I just knew that if Baldwin died, we would all be in a lot of trouble. I pulled at his arm a few times before he heard me. He turned his head towards me, and I saw him blink in surprise behind his glasses. He made a noise of disgust and let go of Baldwin, who promptly fell to the floor in a heap, gasping for breath. We both stepped back, watching as Baldwin sucked in huge gasps of air.

"Jesus Adam" David said in a shaky voice. We both turned around to see Sarif, standing behind his desk looking pale. Adam ran his hands through the back of his head, a sure sign he was agitated. He gave Baldwin one last glare before stepping over to Sarif's desk, and poured himself a neat whiskey. He drank the amber liquid in one gulp, before setting the glass down.

In the meantime, Baldwin had managed to pull himself up against the wall, and was rubbing his neck, which had red marks from where Adam had strangled him. Watching the Colonel's puce face return to its normal shade, thoughts were tumbling around in my head. Baldwin's visit today was unnerving, as he had no backup. Baldwin never went anywhere without heavily armed augmented soldiers. He had obviously sent his soldiers after me last night, but now that I thought about it, that seemed more like a test, as he had only sent four. They weren't armed, except for dart guns, and he knew from experience it would take a lot more than four soldiers to take me down. His appearance here today meant he was trying a different tact. Adam, Sarif and I had talked about this eventuality. Legally, Baldwin had no standing. As it had been after seven years, I was officially pronounced dead and he couldn't use the legal system to get to me.

I eyed him warily, but answered calmly. "You have no jurisdiction here Colonel. It's been seven years since I've been missing, which means I've officially been pronounced dead. Sure there are legal ramifications for that, but I am no longer in the Military's employ and you have no command over me."

If I hadn't been watching him closely and my social enhancement wasn't in use, I would no doubt have missed his lips compress and his eyes tighten slightly. The look Baldwin shot me was one of pure hatred. It was gone in an instant, but I knew that this man would stop at nothing to make sure I was back in his he did speak, his voice was husky, his vocal chords no doubt swollen from the treatment he received from Adam. Baldwin studiously straightened out his shirt, and spoke, taking care to look me in the eye.

"Very well. I came here as a courtesy to you. Be warned, this is not over. You have something of mine that I want". Baldwin glanced at Adam, that predatory gleam entering his eye again. I almost groaned, Adam was now on his radar. He had seen the extent of Adam's augmentations and his intelligent mind had already pieced together the fact that Adam was more extensively augmented than most of his soldiers.

Baldwin turned, addressing David. He bowed mockingly, "Such a pleasure to finally meet the famous David Sarif. I apologise for the violence. Expect to hear from me again in the near future."

Adam took a step forward and for a split second I thought I saw Baldwin flinch, but it could also have been the angle, as the sun had begun to rise and was now glinting off of every object in the room. Without another word to me, he spun around and left the office. When the door closed I let out a breath I didn't realise I'd been holding. I could feel a headache behind my eyes and rubbed my temples. When I opened them again Adam was right in front of me.

"Are you okay" he asked. He cupped my face gently with his hands, his eyes flickering over me. The sincerity in his voice was too much and he must have seen the tears brimming on the surface as he wrapped me in a hug, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles over my back. Breathing in his scent, I was able to relax. I knew Adam would help me fight Baldwin, and the fact that I wasn't alone anymore, was more of a comfort than he would ever know. We stood like that for some time, until we both heard David cough. I jumped slightly at that. I'd actually forgotten David was there, and felt my cheeks burn as I realised I was hugging his Head of Security in the middle of his office. Adam's back was to David, so he planted a kiss on the top of my head before he turned around to face Sarif.

We both stood there looking at David, unsure of his reaction. I saw him narrow his eyes, and look between me and Adam. Realisation dawned in his eyes, and to my astonishment he smiled. He didn't say anything about the intimate scene he had just witnessed, he was far too professional for that, but that smile made me feel like he approved, even if he didn't specifically say anything.

"I'm sorry boss" I blurted out before either men could say anything.

David waved his augmented hand. "Actually Madison I should apologise..." he began before he was interrupted by Adam's humming acknowledgement. David gave Adam an irritated look before continuing. "I was here early, for an appointment. I thought this Colonel Baldwin was an investor. Anyway, as we know, he wasn't. He asked me to contact the two of you as he said you'd both had a shock last night. He didn't explain further and when you both didn't answer your phones I had Pritchard contact you. Are you guys okay?" David asked suddenly, as if it just occurred to him that might have been in danger.

"Yes" Adam says in a clipped voice. "Last night we were attacked by Colonel Baldwin's men. Their bodies are still in Madison's apartment." Adam frowned. "Ah shit" he stated.

David and I both looked at him, confused. "I'm guessing that while we were here, Colonel Baldwin would have sent other men to get the bodies".

"Ah shit" I echoed, and Adam nodded.

David frowned, already thinking ahead. "So this is what we do now? Madison, you'll have to stay at Sarif Industries again. Adam you'll…" David began, making plans without my consent.

"Whoa, Boss that's not going to happen. I appreciate your concern, but I'm not staying here, again." I saw David was about to argue but I pressed on. "Baldwin's ploy today was purely a scare tactic. If I stay here I might as well just return to him, in the sense that I'd be giving up my freedom. Also, what makes you think he won't organise an attack against Sarif Industries? Are you really willing to place countless other lives at risk for mine? I'm not." David looked sceptical but I could also tell his responsibility to his other employees was weighing on his mind.

"I just need to go on with my daily life. Baldwin is more likely to try legal channels before he attempts an outright kidnapping. He's still with the Military; he still has to obey laws". I looked over at Adam who was frowning. "And I can hear those cogs turning Adam. You can contact the authorities but I have no proof of what he did to me. I don't know where his laboratories are and I have no concrete evidence. Also, you'd also be placing me in harm's way by admitting that augmentation technology is far more advanced than others realise and I'm the source of it." I shrugged. "It sucks but that's what has to happen. Baldwin sending his men in last night was to test me, test my strength. His appearance here today was to unnerve me. He could have sent more men to capture me but he didn't. There's a bigger picture here, and only Baldwin knows the end game."

Both men had tried to convince me to leave the country. I objected, stating Baldwin had the resources to track me and I'd be in an even more precarious position, alone and without the backing of Sarif Industries. In the end, David and Adam weren't happy with my decision not to run away, but they respected it.

I expected Baldwin to eventually make a move, but we were to be pre-emptive as well. Security would be heightened at Sarif Industries. We would be keeping electronic tabs on Baldwin, as well as taking extra precautions in general. It wasn't the best plan, but I had made a life here and would not allow Baldwin to ruin it. It may have been foolish, and it made me nervous knowing Baldwin was plotting against me, only because I had people in my life that I cared about now, and he could use them against me.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

To my astonishment weeks passed without another incident involving Baldwin. I tried not to let it show, but I was feeling extraordinarily jumpy since his visit. I expected soldiers to storm Sarif Industries or come barging into my apartment at any time. Pritchard had been digging around discreetly in the Military database and found some disturbing facts. Colonel Baldwin was no longer under Military employ. He had been discharged and no record had been found of him since. This made me very nervous. He obviously didn't have the backing of the Military but he would not have left his research without a backup plan. The only other record we found of him was his association with a private firm called Sentinel. There was so little information about this firm available that I was sure it was actually a private research lab and would be funding Baldwin's experiments.

Despite the looming threat from Baldwin, my relationship with Adam flourished. In spite of spending every day together, I never got tired of his company and we would also spend every night together. We would walk home, I would cook, and we would chat over dinner. The extent of Adam's culinary skills was to place a pizza in the oven. I didn't mind as I loved to cook, as it relaxed me. We would spend the nights together, either at my place or his. With Adam I found a passion inside myself I never knew existed. It wasn't just that Adam was ridiculously good looking, although that didn't hinder the situation, I found that when I was with him I felt safe, loved and such a strong connection it was difficult to explain using any words.

I found that in a relatively short amount of time, I had fallen in love with him. We shared the same dry, and at times, sarcastic sense of humour which made him fun to be around. He respected me, which was something I appreciated. For so many years I'd been just an experiment, not a human being with feelings or emotions. To have someone believe in me, respect me and ask after my welfare, was a powerful thing. He was also intelligent and we got into some heated debates which, more often than not, often ended in sex. When it came to Adam I had this insatiable desire that I had never felt with anyone else. His quietly confident demeanour, raw power and sexual magnetism was like a powerful drug. Adam was also a fantastic in bed. He was a considerate lover, as I never once failed to orgasm. In fact, I had the pleasure to often experience multiple orgasms when with him. Sex with Adam was never boring, he always seemed to know the exact buttons to press to get me going, and despite his often stoic demeanour at work, he was actually pretty sexually adventurous. I had to wonder why Megan Reed would ever have thought her research was better than a tumble in the sheets with Adam.

One particular night Adam had brought his work home with him. He had not had the chance to read over the nightly reports and was lying in bed pouring over them. I'd just had a shower, and when I came out, there he was, propped up by pillows looking obnoxiously attractive. I had the towel wrapped around me, and was wringing my wet hair out on the other towel under my feet. I smiled a little, deciding to have some fun. I whipped the towel off, placed it back on its hanger, and walked out into the bedroom, naked. I watched out the corner of my eye as Adam absently glanced up at me. His head went automatically back down to start reading before his brain registered my nakedness and he jerked his head up again. My back was to him now and I couldn't help but smile. Even after all this time sleeping together, it was nice to get such a reaction from him. I could feel his eyes on me as I stood with my back to him and opened the drawer, getting some lacy lingerie out. I put them on slowly, and then turned around.

Lust burned in his eyes as his gaze skimmed over me. The reports were discarded on the bed next to him. Perfect, just what I'd hoped for. I walked over to the bed. Adam still hadn't said a word, but as soon as I got to the edge of the bed he leant over, gripping me around my wrist and tugging me onto the bed. I complied, climbing on top of him so that my thighs were either side of his hips. He traced his fingers lightly up my outer thigh, and he murmured "so beautiful" as he leant in to kiss me.

I rolled my hips into his erection making him groan into my mouth. Because I had to lean down slightly to kiss him, my breasts weren't far from his face. Adam broke off the kiss to watch the swaying of my breasts in front of him, but soon moved to capture one nipple in his mouth, tugging at it with his teeth. I gasped as he suckled harder. We both enjoyed being a little rough sometimes. He placed one hand on my hip, and used the other to prop himself on one arm up so that I didn't have to lean so far down to kiss him. He let go of my hip, and used his thumb to wriggle inside my panties. He slid his thumb up and down my opening, sighing when he felt how wet I was for him. He slid his thumb out, but I captured his hand, and brought the thumb that he had just had inside me, to my mouth. Very slowly I sucked on his thumb, tasting myself. Adam watched, lust evident in his eyes, and groaned, thrusting his hips up into mine when I slid his thumb out of my mouth.

Adam growled slightly, becoming impatient, and flipped me over so that I was on my back. He reached down, tugging my underwear off. "Don't need these" he murmured against my mouth. "Fuck" he breathed, when I opened my thighs to him and he slipped a finger inside me. I closed my eyes and moaned softly when he slipped another inside me. He withdrew his fingers so that only the tips were inside me, and I gasped, delighted, when he then thrust them back inside me roughly. I could feel Adam's eyes on me as he fucked me with his fingers while also adding pressure with his thumb to my clit. Adam once told me he loved to watch my face when I came as it made him hard just thinking about the pleasure he could give me. I grabbed onto his shoulder, moaning as I felt my orgasm build. When I came, Adam leant over and thrust his tongue inside my mouth, muffling my groans. Adam then slowly withdrew his fingers and I watched as he slowly brought them to his mouth and sucked my juices off his fingers.

It was so erotic that I sprang up, clawing at him to get his shirt off. Adam ripped his shirt off, then his pants, and underwear followed. We were both on our knees, facing each other on the bed, his erection pressing against my belly. His hands were on the small of my back, pulling me closer while we kissed each other, our tongues entwined. With his cock against my stomach, the friction became too much for Adam. "Turn around" he demanded, guiding me around so that I was now on my hands and knees in front of him. Adam was behind me and when I felt him lean over, squeeze my ass playfully and trail kisses down my spine I hissed in pleasure. I thrust my hips back impatiently as I felt pre-cum leak over my ass from where his cock was resting.

"So impatient", Adam murmured, desire making his voice even huskier. Adam shifted on his knees, spreading my legs further apart. I used my hand to open the lips of my sex so that he could guide his cock to my entrance. He moved so that just the tip was inside me. He stayed like that, not moving, chuckling as I became impatient and tried to push myself back onto his cock. He pulled back slightly, not allowing me to feel him within me until he was ready. I groaned in frustration, but stayed still, allowing Adam to be in control. Sometimes it was like this with us. At times Adam liked to be in control, especially when he fucked me from behind, it was like some primal instinct in him came out so that he felt like he needed to brand me. I didn't mind, it was an incredible turn on and I could feel an increased flow of wetness just at the thought of him dominating me. He moved forward slowly, so that an inch of his cock was inside me. "Adam" I pleaded. I couldn't wait to feel him fuck me from behind. He didn't respond and I thought he might pull out again, but instead, in one smooth thrust of his hips, his cock was buried deep within me. I groaned at that, the feeling of him filling me was exquisite.

Adam pulled out, almost to the tip, but immediately thrust back in again. Adam set a steady pace; the only sound in the room was that of the slap of flesh on flesh along with our heavy breathing. After a few minutes fucking me this way, I felt Adam's hand reach around my body to touch my clit. It was so swollen and sensitive that I cried out in pleasure when he began to massage it. I bit my lip, trying to hold out. This was my favourite position and I wanted it to last as long as possible. There was something primitive about Adam fucking me from behind and I enjoyed every minute of it.

"Come for me" Adam demanded, pumping his hips faster. I gasped when he increased the pressure on my clit. After that I had no choice, I did come, hard. I groaned out his name before the last pulses of my orgasm faded. My inner muscles squeezing his cock meant Adam wasn't far behind. He grabbed both of my hips with his hands and slammed into me, grunting with every movement. "Oh fuck" he moaned before he thrust one last time. With his strong hands gripping my hips he emptied himself inside me, his warm come spurting over my cervix. We stayed in that position for some time, both getting our breath back. When he slipped his softening cock out of me I felt his come coat my thighs and buttocks. We both collapsed on the pillow, and I stretched, feeling a pleasant ache between my thighs due to Adam's generous size and hard pace. I looked down. "I think I'll need another shower" I stated, noticing the moisture between my thighs. Adam laughed, mumbling an apology, but his eyes were already drooping. I gave him a final kiss, smoothing his hair back and watching as his features softened in sleep. I pull up the sheet and draped it over his naked body before entering the shower again.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

There were a lot of things I was grateful for when I started my new life outside of the Military. My relationship with Adam being one, being employed by Sarif Industries was another. I didn't expect to like not only my place of employment, but also the people and the tasks involved in my job. At first, it was a bit of a rough transition from "Sarif's nutty relation" to security consultant. Adam informed his men, if not the truth, then a version of it. They were informed I wasn't related to David Sarif and I think that in itself went a long way towards their acceptance of me. If you're related to the Boss, no matter how hard you work, people will always believe that you're not there on your own merit. They were also told I lived at Sarif Industries for a time to try and create better security protocols and spot signs of weakness, and design ways to fix these flaws in the security. They were told that I was augmented but didn't know the specifics.

Adam had some new recruits and I offered to train some of them. They were a mixed bunch; some had more training than others when it came to close quarter combat. I knew how busy Adam was and he couldn't really spare the time to train them, so he was quite happy to have me do it. Standing in the training room in front of five other men, two of the younger recruits were smirking at each other, obviously amused to have a trainer who was 5'2 and didn't look at all intimidating. They even have the temerity to ask if "the actual trainer was coming". I merely smiled and responded with a resounding "no" in the calmest voice I had.

So it was with great pleasure that I marked these two youngest recruits and made an example of them. When I asked if they would like to complete a sparring session with me, it was with delight that I wiped their smirks off their faces. I even allowed the two of them to attack me at once. They weren't bad fighters per se, they just didn't have the skill and training I had. In less than a minute I had disarmed both of them and both were knocked flat on their backs. I didn't hurt them; it was merely to demonstrate to them that size and most importantly gender did not constitute and sure victory.

After the training session I had another "check-up" with Dr Reed. Despite walking out on our first meeting, David had insisted that I be examined and monitored by Megan. I think, even after what had happened Sarif still had a soft spot for Megan, but I could not for the life of me see why. To me she was rude, arrogant and one cold fish. What Adam ever saw in her remains a mystery. Today, after my shower, I had a slight headache and did not feel like dealing with her snide remarks. Whenever I had an appointment with her I always felt slightly uncomfortable. For starters, I was on her turf, and her assistant, Ratface aka "Dr Cheese" was a lecherous presence who was constantly sneering and I felt his unwanted gaze on me throughout the appointment. When I arrived a few minutes late Megan's greeting was as usual, unpleasant.

"I can see that even telling the time is beyond you" she remarked, not even looking up as I entered the lab. I gritted my teeth, and my headache went up a notch from a low ache to a throb. I ignored her jibe, honestly not having the energy to deal with her rudeness.

I undressed and put on the scrubs required. Megan bustled over to me, needle in hand, and jabbed in into my arm without preamble, with slightly more force than was strictly necessary. I sat immobile, not willing to give anything away. When in Megan's company, it always felt like a chess game. You required a complex understanding of the nuances of her intelligence and she rarely said anything without a double meaning behind things. This left me feeling constantly on my guard and she did little to make me, as a patient, relaxed.

Adam and I had gone out of our way to keep our relationship during work hours strictly professional. We both knew how rumours were rife in the workplace, and Adam had been right, Megan had been difficult ever since Ratface had seen the kiss between Adam and myself in the training room. Megan's taciturn demeanour turned hostile and spiteful. She constantly made snarky little comments which grated on me, and was actually quite rough in her handling of me when she needed blood.

Today, apart from her first initial snark, she remained oddly quiet. I became wary, noticing that her whole being was radiating with anger. Dressing, I eyed her warily, wondering if she'd speak. I'm not sure how she knew, but I was willing to bet she was made aware of my relationship status with Adam, and her next words confirmed this.

"Adam must really be desperate for some kind of affection" Megan practically spat as I turned and started to walk towards the door.

She couldn't see me, with my back turned to her, but I rolled my eyes and sighed. I debated just walking out of the lab, and letting her comment go, but some part of me knew she wouldn't stop.

I turned around slowly, meeting her eyes, but blinking slightly when I saw the hatred amongst the unshed tears. "Excuse me" I asked softly, narrowing my gaze, giving her every opportunity to back out and apologise. I knew she wouldn't though.

"To turn to you. Adam must really be desperate for some kind of affection" Megan reiterated. She paused. "Is he paying you?" she sneered nastily.

My teeth clenched, and it took all my self-control to remain calm. I smiled, which actually was more a baring of teeth. "What gives you the right to think you can comment on my relationship with Adam?" I asked in a soft tone, controlling my anger, but just barely.

Megan sniffed, folding her arms while glaring at me. "Because he's mine" she spat, her eyes taking on a maniacal gleam.

I laughed outright and saw her cheeks colour. "Seriously, that's your argument? He's mine? You haven't been together in years, and besides what universe are you living in? You're intelligent enough to notice his body language around you. He's too much of a gentleman to say anything but you can't fail to notice how uncomfortable he is when he's around you."

Megan took a few steps towards me. "I'm telling you, Adam and I are meant to be together. You're just a distraction until he sees how much he really loves me."

For such an intelligent woman, Megan sure was clueless. Besides the fact that she'd practically called me a whore, I was sick of the way she treated me, so decided to dig the knife in, metaphorically speaking.

"Well, if that's the case, I'm happy to be a distraction. What that man can do with his tongue alone…" I trailed off, watching as her anger turned into fury as the implications of my statement were digested. I knew it was a low blow, referring to my sexual relationship with Adam, but the woman's constant belittling of me got on my nerves.

Megan's face went blank; she stepped forward, raised her hand and attempted to slap me. She was not augmented and was far too slow. I allowed her hand to come close to my face before mine whipped out, faster than she could processes, to still her hand. I grabbed her wrist, watching as her mouth went agape at my quick reflexes. I squeezed, not hard enough to cause any damage, but I knew she'd feel the bones in her wrist contracting. She made a slight gasping noise but I ignored it.

"Never raise your hand to me again. This is your only warning" My voice was pitched low, and I saw her wince at my tone. I let go of her hand, and stepped back, watching as she rubbed her wrist. She looked up at me in shock, and I gave her one last penetrating glare, and had the satisfaction of seeing her look away, before exiting the lab.

Outside, I leaned against the wall, breathing through my mouth, attempting to calm myself. I would never have hurt Reed, but her attempt to slap me proved too much as I had vowed to myself that I would never allow another person to touch me without my permission. After years feeling of like my body was not my own, I was particular about who touched me or who I allowed to even raise a hand against me in such a simple thing as a slap. I walked off slowly, my headache now throbbing. I headed to my office to get pain killers. I decided against telling Adam about the incident. I would come off second best from the encounter, and even worse, look like a jealous girlfriend.

Unbeknownst to me, Megan had no such qualms about telling Adam about our exchange, although her version of events differed greatly to mine. A few days later Adam returned from his check-up appointment and phoned me, asking me to come to his office. At first, noting was amiss about this, Adam would often call me to come over, whether to discuss a security briefing, the new trainees or a number of other mundane work tasks. Adam sat behind his chair, talking into his phone, but waved me in. I entered and I sat across from him, waiting for him to finish his call. At all times Adam wore his glasses at work, only ever really retracting them at home with me. I could still watch his eyes behind his glasses and noticed he looked slightly nervous. I activated my social enhancer, automatically on alert. Adam's heart rate had increased slightly and I frowned, wondering why.

He cleared his throat. "I just had my monthly check-up with Megan" he began. I stiffened in my chair and immediately knew where the conversation was heading. I remained silent, curious to see how Adam handled what Megan told him about our 'encounter'.

His eyes flicked over my face, but I had schooled it into a deliberately blank expression. "Megan was a little upset. She told me you threatened her." Adam scratched his beard with his polymer hand. "And hurt her" Adam tacked on reluctantly.

"Is there a question in there Adam, or are you going to make bold, sweeping statements and hope I answer to your satisfaction?" I asked, a touch of sarcasm creeping into my voice.

I tried to keep my expression blank, not wanting Adam to see how furious and upset I was. Megan Reed, the manipulative bitch, had told Adam a completely false account of what had happened. I never threatened her, and she had struck at me. It surprised me, but Adam needing to bring this up at all really hurt. I had thought he had more respect for me. He should have known I would never threatened or raise a hand to a civilian.

The corner of his mouth twitched at my tone. "Yes. I mean no there's not a question." Adam let out a frustrated sigh. "I realise Megan's most likely manipulating me, I just needed ..." Adam trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

I stood up abruptly, fighting, and losing to keep the emotion out of my voice. "If you even need to ask if I hurt her Adam then there's a bigger issue here than you allowing yourself to be manipulated by your ex".

To my horror I felt tears well in my eyes. This was our first real fight, and over his ex no less. Adam stood up, remorse written all over his face. I put my hand out, stopping him from coming any further. "Don't" I rasped out.

I turned and walked out of his office. The emotions racing through me all fought for dominance. Anger, betrayal, sadness. I swallowed my tears, unwilling to let Megan Reed and her petty vendetta get the best of me. I hit the elevator for the top floor, needing to be alone, and desperately needing some air. At the very top of Sarif Industries, a helipad was located and was one of my favourite places to visit when on a break. The roaming view of Detroit was calming, and the wind whipping around my face and hair, allowed me to feel a measure of peace.

Stepping out of the lift, I saw Faridah Malik, Sarif Industries pilot and one of the few friends I had, cleaning her beloved "Bird" as she affectionately called her aircraft. I didn't think she saw me, and not in the mood to talk anyway, I skirted the outer edges and went around the corner to sit in my secluded space.

I'm not sure how long I sat there, my thoughts in a whirlwind, but it wasn't long before I heard Malik's approach. I snorted to myself, so much for stealthily getting around her. I sat with my back against a wall, and watched as she approached and sat down beside me. She didn't say a word, just sat, allowing me the space to fill it either with silence or conversation. My mouth curled into a smile as I remember the first time we had been introduced.

Adam had introduced me to the chief pilot for Sarif Industries and my first thought was the Faridah Malik looked like a real life pixie. She had short black hair that she wore spikey, small ears and nose, and wide, warm brown eyes. She was quite a pretty woman, who always wore a tight fitting black, red and grey flight suit and was of Arabic descent. She was the first person, apart from Adam, that I felt like I had a connection with. She was friendly, bubbly and welcoming the first time we met, and if she saw me she would always go out of her way to speak to me. My frequent ventures onto the roof allowed us to build up a friendship. I also discovered that she had, if not a crush, then a definite soft spot for Adam. She told me once how she had rescued him from the burning lab. Malik didn't hold back in her retelling, and I realised how grievously injured Adam had been, and how lucky he was to be alive. The beam that had fallen on him after he was shot in the head had saved his life, providing protection against the raging fire.

Looking over at Malik now I realised how much I'd begun rely on her friendship. Solitary by nature, it surprised me that I often unconsciously went to the roof to seek out her counsel, and today was obviously no different. Malik had been friends with Megan before she was kidnapped, but now they didn't see each other much. Malik had told me in confidence that she didn't think Megan was ever truly committed to her relationship to Adam. Her work came first, always had. She also had noticed a change in Megan, and while delighted she was safe, they were no longer as close as they used to be.

"I'm pissed off" I stated. Malik gave a chuckle, "I guessed that genius. Even without a C.A.S.I.E implant I could see that".

I snorted, relaxing my shoulders against the wall, realising how tense I was. I sighed and told her about the incident with Megan, and her subsequent retelling of the events to Adam, with her omitting a few details.

"But you're actually pissed at Adam" Malik stated bluntly.

I gave an irritated half shrug. Once again Malik was right on the ball. "Yes. He should have known I would never threaten her. It was the way he approached the issue. I wouldn't have minded him bringing it up if he didn't sound so doubtful. I realise he has a history with Megan and we've only been dating a few months, but he knows me well enough to know I would never hurt her."

Malik patted my knee "Men can be idiots. As smart as Adam is, he's still a man, and they need guidance sometimes. I'm sure he knew that, he just went about it the wrong way".

I made a humming noise of agreement. I heard the door open and turned my head, not surprised to hear Adam's distinct footsteps make their way towards me. Malik jumped up, giving me the thumbs up before turning around the corner. I heard her greet Adam, and his response. I almost laughed out loud, Adam's approach sounded wary. From my sitting position I eyed his tall form. His jaw was tightened, and his arms were folded as he leant against the wall looking down at me.

"I came to apologise" he stated in a clipped voice. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from smiling; knowing Adam wouldn't appreciate my humour in this situation. Adam was a man who seldom apologised for anything, although that didn't mean he always thought he was right. In fact that was the annoying part; Adam thought things out very carefully and _was_ usually right, in most situations, just not this one. Speaking with Malik had put the situation into perspective. It was an emotionally charged situation, which was difficult for both of us. To hear him apologise meant that he'd had to swallow his not inconsiderate pride. I held out my hand and he pulled me. Squinting against the bright sunshine I gave him a long measured look, letting him squirm a bit.

"Apology accepted. Do you want to really know what happened?" I asked.

Adam looked off to the left, out over Detroit, most likely weighing his answer. "I'm not sure. I realise now Megan was manipulating me, again. But, I also know you would never harm her. If you want to tell me, I'll listen, but I was wrong in ever doubting you."

Adam looked back at me, his jaw clenched. Adam had once told me that Megan was a master manipulator, and he would often overlook her scheemings because he loved her. Now, he wasn't in love with her, and I could see that her continual attempts to manipulate him wore on him. I stepped forward, put my hands on his chest, and reached up on my toes to pull his head down for a kiss. He hesitated for a second, surprised, before leaning down to kiss me. Adam wasn't one for public affection, and truth be told, neither was I, but he looked so damn sexy.

"Thank you for apologising." I said, still standing on my toes so that I could reach around his neck. His face was close to mine and our breath mingled as I spoke. "I should have told you…" I trailed off when Adam leaned in to kiss me again. I was the one who hesitated this time, wondering what he was thinking. It became obvious when he brought one hand down my back and squeezed my ass. I drew back in surprise.

"Adam, what…" I gasped as he began kissing along my jaw. "Here?" I asked breathlessly. I felt Adam shrug, "Why not, there's no cameras and we're hidden from everyone".

This was true, we were secluded behind a maintenance shed, and we'd both heard Malik return inside. I still wasn't convinced, but when Adam used his tongue to make swirling motions around my neck, I made a satisfied noise in my throat and decided maybe it was a good idea. Not only did the danger of being caught make it a huge turn on, but the thought that Adam had cared enough to seek me out after our argument and knowing it was me he wanted and not his ex, made it even more worthwhile. I never knew Adam liked sex in public places, especially at work, but hey I guess we're all human.

Adam pushed me back up against the wall, which was warm from the sun. I let my hands wander to the front of his pants noticing he was already hard, and Adam groaned when I trailed my finger down the fabric, scratching slightly at his erection. Adam rolled his hips into my hand as I kept up the friction on the front of his pants. Adam went back to kissing my mouth, but used his hand to knead my breast. We didn't have time for much foreplay, but it didn't matter, I was already wet. Still kissing me, Adam undid the buttons on my jeans. When he slipped a finger inside me, he groaned when he found how ready I was. "Fuck", he breathed when I pushed him back slightly and undid his zipper, letting his erection out of the confines of his pants. One of his arms was braced against the wall above my shoulder, and he bit his lip to stifle a groan when he watched me dip a hand between my legs to gather some of my own juices, and then use it as a lubricant to stoke his cock. I stoked a few times, and he thrust his hips against my hand. As I took my hand away, Adam made a strangled sound then blinked, dazed by his own lust.

He seemed to shake himself before he moved towards me and yanked my pants down and lifted me up against the wall. Adam's own pants were around his ankles. Adam had one arm around my back, holding me up against the wall effortlessly. I opened my legs and watched as he guided himself into me. Adam was a large size and it always took my breath away when I felt myself having to stretch to accommodate him. I sighed when he was fully sheathed inside me. Adam smiled at me, and then bent in to kiss me. I made a whimpering sound when he withdrew, and then thrust back into me.

"So tight" Adam growled. With Adam pumping his hips into me, I wrapped both legs around him and held on. At this angle, every time Adam thrust inside me, his pelvic bone was able to create a blooming pressure on my clit. We grunted against each other, lost in the pleasure, and it didn't take long before I felt the familiar pressure building up. The rhythm he had built up faltered slightly when we heard a door open and two of his security personnel walk out. Adam stopped moving completely, and I let out a breathless laugh. Adam shot me a look I had to bite my lip from laughing. We were certainly in a compromising position. Luckily for us, they moved in the opposite direction to us, and we heard them lighting up their cigarette.

I decided that Adam's lack of movement was a problem so I rolled my hips into his, and heard him swear in response. Adam's head had been turned away from me, tracking the guy's movements, but he soon turned his head back when I began to grind against him. Adam gave me a wicked smile, and began to move again, but this time he increased his pace, pumping his hips into mine as bit my lip to stop myself from crying out in pleasure. The pressure on my clit and Adam's relentless pace allowed my orgasm to creep up on me quickly. I could hear my heaving breathing as I got closer, and I groaned, unable to help to stop myself from expressing my pleasure. Adam had the presence of mind to crush his lips over mine to stop my moans of pleasure reaching the ears of his security personnel. Satisfied I wouldn't make any more noise; Adam tore his lips from mine, brought his hands to still my hips and pumped himself harder into me, reaching for his own climax. I heard him groan and then bite my shoulder hard enough to leave a bruise to stifle his own noises when he came deep inside me. Releasing my shoulder from his teeth, Adam rolled his hips a few more times as the last vestiges of our combined orgasm pulsed through our bodies.

We stayed joined, trying to catch our breath. Luckily, both guys finished their cigarettes quickly and we heard them walk back inside when Adam lifted his face and I captured his mouth in a lazy kiss. I felt his tongue swipe over my bottom lip and groaned. "I would never have picked you for a sex at work guy". Adam laughed, and I sighed, a little disappointed when I felt him withdraw from me slowly. Adam pulled his pants up and tucked his cock back in. Our combined juices were smeared against my thigh and entrance. I shrugged, pulling my own pants back on; there wasn't much I could do about it now.

"Neither did I" Adam stated. "What?" I asked, confused, still feeling the euphoric high from our coupling and not really following the conversation. "You said, 'I would never have picked you for a sex at work guy'. I didn't think I was either. Especially with the guys a few feet away. But I couldn't help myself." Adam had a satisfied smile on his face when he said this. I lightly slapped his arm, "Pretty happy with your efforts huh?" I joked.

I had to bite back a smile, he should be proud of his efforts. Adam nodded, trying to look serious, but failing. He leaned forwards, eyes bright, "I take my job very seriously. Getting you to make those sounds while I fuck you senseless is a very important job." A shiver went down my back. God, when he said things like that it made me want to jump him all over again. "I'll put that in your evaluation to David then." I paused, "Question: Satisfactory as a lover? I'll give you at least a 6 out of 10." I joked. Adam's indignant look was too much, so I relented. "Okay sorry, sorry, a 10. Makes me orgasm every time we have sex. That's always what Sarif wants out of an employee." We both burst out laughing, probably thinking of Sarif seated in his plush office reading an evaluation report about our sex life. Adam gave me one final kiss before we walked out behind the maintenance shed. Luckily, Adam was the only one with access to all of the security cameras; otherwise I'm sure those who monitored them would definitely have known what we'd been doing behind that shed.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

It wasn't long before Adam and I both suspected that we were being watched. We had both, on separate occasions, felt that we were under surveillance outside of Sarif Industries. It was more of an instinct than anything else, honed over the years to keep us alive. We had both had dangerous occupations before coming to work for Sarif, and it was those instincts which we had learnt to trust, which had kept us alive. It was a sense that was never quite switched off, even when asleep. Both of us had been on missions where instinct was the only reason you were standing here today. It was the hesitation before looking around the corner which had saved you from a bullet to the temple. Looking back on those times you realised that it something within you, something primitive that most likely dated back to the hunter/gather days where you survived on instinct or didn't survive. It was this sense which had stopped you from sticking your head out, knowing there was a danger there but not being able to see it, just sense it, which kept you alive.

It wasn't like there was anything tangible; whoever was following us was a consummate professional and kept well out of sight. It was more like a prickle on the back of your neck, warning you of danger. Adam had originally broached the topic of his suspicions that we were being following. I had also experienced that sense of unease but had unwisely dismissed it as being paranoid. No matter how honed your skills were, when someone from your past made threats against your life you began to see shadows where none existed. It was a huge relief that Adam felt the same way. Some part of me knew it wasn't just paranoia, but I also reasoned to myself that Adam would have noticed it as well. We didn't have much to go on despite our suspicions so we both decided to wait it out while also being cautious and vigilant in case it was Baldwin who was having us watched.

It wasn't long after that conversation that our suspicions were confirmed. It had been Adam's turn to collect our lunches that day. There were times when we would take a long lunch and dine out together, other times we would simply eat at the cafeteria or one of us would need to get out of the office and would walk the short distance to the nearest café.

Adam looked up from his desk, watching as Madison typed furiously on the laptop in front of her. He smiled to himself. He would often joke that the keyboard would either internally combust from her typing pace or break completely with the way she was heavy-handed with her typing. He could hear the heavy clicking of the keystrokes and watched curiously as a frown marred her face.

"Stop staring Adam, it's a bit pervy" Madison remarked not looking up but with a slight smile, while still typing furiously on the laptop. Adam started, feeling a little guilty as he realized he _had_ been staring. Damn, she missed nothing.

"I'm not staring, I was only waiting for you to finish so I didn't break your concentration", Adam felt himself respond a little defensively.

Madison stopped typing and looked up, giving him one of her smiles which had the dimples on her cheeks deepen. "Okay I'm finished" she announced, closing the laptop and looking at him expectantly.

He blinked at her, saying nothing. He _had_ been staring at her, and when he had been caught out, he had also been caught short on an excuse for staring. His prolonged silence had her raising her eyebrow in a silent question. Inspiration was slow, but it came to him eventually.

"Lunch" he stated. "Did you want lunch" he clarified.

Biting her lip to keep from laughing, Madison quickly schooled her expression into blankness when he scowled, becoming embarrassed when he realised his explanation hadn't fooled her. Not that he _really_ minded, but he had a reputation as a hard ass to maintain.

"Chinese?" Madison asked hopefully.

Madison was on a Chinese binge at the moment and for the last three days they had ordered from the same restaurant. Adam shot her a quick look, about to complain, when she smiled and deliberately batted her eyelashes at him in a ploy to look innocent and to no doubt sway him. He choked back a laugh, wondering again at Madison's ability to put him at ease enough to be able to joke with her. In fact, Adam had wondered for a time if his sense of humour had been surgically removed during his augmentation procedure. He'd had so few reasons to laugh after the procedure that most people presumed he didn't even have a sense of humour. It was in actual fact, the opposite. Even before the procedure Adam had dry wit, but since it mostly came out sarcastic, some people had no idea how to handle that. So it was that he mostly kept his errant thoughts to himself, preferring for others to see him as a serious and stern individual. As the years went on, it wasn't like he saw much to joke about anyway. His parents had died and he had no family left, not even an aunt or cousin. His relationship with Megan had ended abruptly and for months he'd mourned her "death". While investigating the attack on Sarif Industries he had also very nearly lost his humanity. It would have been so easy to press the self-destruct button while at Panchea and end his own life. Then Madison had come along and was an unexpected light in his life. She had slowly brought him out of his surly, stoic shell to a point where others had even heard him laugh, a feat which very few people had managed.

So it was that Adam, acquiescing to Madison's need for Chinse, found himself walking to Pho Lin's Chinese restaurant a block away from Sarif Industries. When he had first introduced Madison to the restaurant she had burst out laughing. He had blinked at her in confusion until she had pointed at the bustling interior, then at the sign and had quipped "It's full in there". It took him all of a few seconds to realise she had cleverly played on the title of the restaurant. Adam found himself grinning at the memory until a woman passing by gave him an odd look.

At all times Adam was aware of his surroundings; assessing possible threats and being aware of his environ. He was unsure whether it was a throwback from his days as a cop or his enhanced senses which allowed him to be far more aware of his surroundings. Most likely it was both. Not long after stepping outside, Adam become aware that he was being followed. He deliberately hesitated behind a crowd waiting to cross the road, activating his Wayfinder Radar System.

The Wayfinder was ingenious and one of the few augmentations Adam found enormously useful. While Adam wasn't necessarily thrilled at the idea of having a body more than 50 percent metal, he didn't necessarily feel the same level of disgust he felt when he looked at his body. It was times like these when having augmentations actually gave him an advantage. The Wayfinder Radar System gave him a limited-range 'radar' indicator, which was projected directly on to his retina. When activated the augmentation's detection threshold and the movement of targets allowed him to track others even beyond normal visual range.

Glancing quickly around with the Radar augmentation activated, Adam was surprised when he was able to pinpoint the location of those who were following him. He tagged the targets using his retinal prosthesis so that he was able to track and monitor their movements. Adam frowned in consternation when he saw the men following him were augmented, and quite extensively too. The four men all had a Cybernetic Arm or Leg Prosthesis on at least one limb, if not both. It concerned him that they were making no apparent effort to conceal their movements. So far their "shadows" had taken great pains to conceal their identity. Adam, however, was confident in his own ability to defend himself if need arose, so he proceeded to walk across the road and into the Chinese restaurant, waiting to see what they would do.

When he re-emerged from the restaurant, his tracking Aug confirmed his targets were waiting for him, although they were evenly spaced out around the street and were far enough away to be a small concern and warrant only a cursory glance. Adam considered phoning Madison, but dismissed the thought almost immediately. There were a number of reasons he chose not to contact her. Mostly it was his pride, he was able to look after himself, and there were only four men who, although most likely soldiers by the way they carried themselves, were nowhere near as extensively augmented as he was. Adam also knew she would insist on meeting him and he didn't want to worry her unnecessarily. Adam had noticed that Madison, although she tried to hide it, was already under stress since Baldwin's visit and especially since discovering they were under surveillance.

Carrying the plastic bag which held their lunches, Adam moved over to stand in the crowd waiting for the green "walk" light. His tracking Aug confirmed the men seemed to close ranks, creating a tighter perimeter around his position. His heart rate increased as he watched the man across the street brush open his jacket to reveal a weapon sitting in its holster on his hip. Adam looked up into the man's eyes and realised the action was a very deliberate threat. Adam made a split second decision to peel away from the crowd. There were far too many civilians milling around for Adam to even attempt to take the men on without casualties. As soon as the light reflected green, he walked across the street but angled away from the crowd, towards a lesser used side street. All four men were walking at a brisk pace towards his position, and Adam knew he had made the right decision to confront these men away from such a crowded area. Civilian casualties were something Adam went to great pains to prevent. He already had a hard time keeping the wolves of his conscience at bay without further innocent bloodshed.

Walking further down the deserted side street, drawing his followers into a sizable area filled with dumpsters and a few older vehicles, Adam stopped suddenly. He gritted his teeth as he realised how thoroughly he'd, essentially, been herded towards this destination. Adam hesitated, watching as six other augmented men came into view in front of him. The men behind him converged to cut off his only exit. Adam, realizing how well they'd managed to profile him, felt his adrenaline kick up a notch. He had done as they had predicted, he'd walked into a lesser used area so that their confrontation, which was likely to end in violence, would not have caused the loss of innocent life. Now, he was effectively trapped and unarmed. While concerned, Adam was still confident he could use his own skill and experience to escape whatever it was they had planned. He also had his Typhoon Explosion System, but was reluctant to activate it, using it only in the direst of circumstances when his own life was truly at risk.

Adam dropped the Chinese food to the floor and attempted to raise his hand to communicate with Pritchard through his cochlear implant. Before he had a chance however, the man directly in front of him raised a rectangular device and clicked. Searing pain shot through his head, and Adam experienced such a heavy dose of vertigo and nausea that he dropped to his knees, clutching his head. The pain lasted only a few seconds, and then disappeared completely. Panting from the exertion, Adam used the wall beside him to prop himself up and stagger to his feet. Excess saliva had accumulated in his mouth so he found himself swallowing excessively. He had no idea why or even how the device had caused such intense but brief pain. Pressing his cochlear implant, Adam attempted to contact Sarif Industries.

"Pritchard" Adam rasped out, hoping the Head of Cyber Security would be able to hear him and assemble his team in time for them to reach his location. Adam heard nothing. He tried again, keeping a wary eye on the men in front a behind him.

The man who had clicked the strange rectangular device smiled blandly. "You will not be able to contact anyone Mr. Jensen. We have effectively disabled your InfoLink." The man's accent was Eastern European, although Adam was unable to pinpoint the exact country of origin.

Adam swallowed again, his alarm increasing every minute he was with these men. Adam's mind raced to absorb everything. There were ten of them, all armed, all augmented. They were soldiers, he was sure, and it was obviously they had access to advanced technology. Adam had not heard of a device which had the ability to disable his InfoLink. He had made a mistake not contacting someone earlier and it seemed he would pay for that mistake.

The same man spoke again, "If you come willingly Mr. Jensen there will be no need for unnecessary bloodshed. It is not you we are after." The man smirked, "Well not really".

Anger coursed through him as he realized the implication of what this man was saying. It was obvious these were Baldwin's men. They were after Madison, and were going to use him as bait. He would not allow this to happen. Without another thought, Adam pushed himself from the wall, extending both nano-ceramic blades. Adam's Quicksilver Reflex Booster augmentation activated as he sprinted towards the closest soldier, making him move so fast as to almost appear as a blur. The Reflex Booster was quite handy, it essentially allowed the user to react quicker than a normal person, enabling them to move blindingly fast with split focus to engage more than one enemy.

The man in front of him, although augmented, was unable to combat Adam's speed. Adam used the blade built into his arm to slice with precision into the man's throat. Adam watched, detached, as blood began to bubble out of the man's mouth before he fell to the floor, dead. Adam spun around, aware of movement to his left, and engaged the left blade to plunge into the nearest soldier's gut. The man let out a gurgle before he too fell to the ground.

The rest of the team mobilised, approaching Adam in tandem, obviously well trained, their professionalism obvious as not one man showed any emotion in regards to their fallen comrades. Fighting off each wave of attack, Adam realized that they must have orders to subdue, but not kill him. Although armed, they had not yet attempted to use their sidearm s. Adam's augmentations were far more superior to any of his attackers, and despite taking a few hits; he was holding his own against eight well-trained soldiers. Adam knew it couldn't last though. They would eventually get past his defences and wear him down.

After Adam had managed to subdue a further three men, the remaining soldiers were beginning to show their frustrations. In taking down the three men Adam had taken some hard hits, although his Sentinel Health System was doing its job and keeping most of the damage to a minimum. Adam, who was so busy fighting three soldiers at once, had his back to the remaining two. Although aware of their presence, the increased punishment he was taking to his body meant that he felt himself wearing down, and wasn't able to spare as much concentration on their movements as he would have liked.

Looking into the soldier's eyes directly in front of him, trying to predict his next move, Adam watched as the man quickly flicked his gaze behind him and moved backwards slightly. He realised too late that something was happening behind him, and in an attempt to discern the soldier's movements, tried to spin around to anticipate the attack. But, he was too late and felt an explosion of pain in his shoulder blade. Adam felt himself being pitched forward by the momentum of what was most likely a bullet. Adam's HUD was spitting out a damage report, but he blinked away the scrolling data, concentrating on maintaining his balance.

The pain in his shoulder blade was intense, but he ignored it. Adam finally found his footing and straightened up, but not in time to dodge the augmented hand which slammed into the side of his mouth. Adam again found himself propelled off-balance, but was able to grab onto the soldier standing to the side of him to stop himself from tripping over. The soldier, not anticipating this, struggled in Adam's grip until he reached up with his hand and twisted until he heard the distinct crack of bones being shattered in his neck. Adam dropped the man the floor, and hunched over, leaning his hands on knees, breathing hard. A strong metallic taste was in his mouth, so he leant over, spitting the excess blood that had congealed in his mouth, onto the floor.

Still bent over, Adam became aware of an odd tingling sensation around the wound in his shoulder blade. His HUD flashed a warning, but this time Adam didn't blink the data away. A creeping paralysis was spreading from the wound, and the damage report confirmed what Adam suspected; he had been shot with some kind of tranquilizing agent. Adam wondered why his Sentinel Health System was doing nothing to combat the effects of the tranquilizer. Most toxins or poisons injected into his bloodstream would immediately be neutralized by his Sentinel and he would suffer no ill effects. His HUD flashed a warning, this tranquilizer had some unknown components, so his health system was unable to break down the toxins fast enough to stop the paralysis creeping down his back.

Straightening up, Adam noticed that the remaining soldiers had formed a loose circle around him. Dizziness hit him abruptly and he staggered. The man in front of him pulled out a type of weapon he had no familiarity with. Adam stared at the weapon; it was like a small, compact version of a crossbow. His mind was screaming at him to move but his body just wasn't responding. He aimed it at Adam's chest, and before he could react, the man pulled the trigger. Adam watched, in an oddly detached way, as a small arrow was shot out of the muzzle and pierced his chest, an inch below his collarbone. A feeling, like a surge of electricity, sent shockwaves throughout his body. Adam gasped and pitched forward landing painfully on his knees. The parts of his body that were metal seemed to seize up; Adam had lost control his augmented limbs.

In the back of his mind, Adam realized that Baldwin had developed some type of weaponized EMP device which specifically targeted augmentations, causing them to become inoperable. Adam's dermal armour was able to provide protection from an external EMP grenade, but was obviously useless against this type of specialized internal device.

Adam felt strong hands grip his upper arms from behind just as he was about to pitch forward onto the floor. The two pronged attack by these men, using an EMP based weapon for his Augs and a tranquiliser for his flesh, had effectively disabled him, something very few men and their teams had been able to do.

The man who had originally spoken to him, the one with the European accent approached him slowly. His movements were slow but measured as he reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a pocket knife. Adam tried to make some kind of movement, but his Augs were offline and he was starting to feel the full effects of the tranquiliser. Adam felt drowsy, despite the increasing pain in his shoulder and body. Adam vaguely wondered why he was in so much pain. He had been beaten up worse than this. He wondered, vaguely, whether his Health Aug was even functional, and if not that meant he was feeling the full effect of his injuries. Adam watched as the man used his teeth to detach the blade. He stared down at Adam, anger evident in his gaze.

"You have killed a close friend of mine today" the man ground out, pointing with his knife off to the side where his comrade had fallen after Adam had snapped his neck. "We have orders to bring you in, otherwise I'd kill you. That doesn't mean a little payback isn't in order".

Without further warning, the man stepped in and plunged the knife into Adam's abdomen. The knife went in close to Adam's hip bone, and he was unable to suppress a gasp of pain. Adam gritted his teeth; the pain was overwhelming, especially on top of his other injuries. He let out an involuntarily groan when the man withdrew the knife, wiped Adam's own blood on top of his jacket, and placed it back in his jacket. The knife wound had sent waves of agony rolling up and down his body. Adam's head fell down over his chest as he didn't have the strength to lift it. Black spots danced in front of his eyes. As a final insult that Adam didn't even see coming, the soldier who had stabbed him drew back his arm and punched Adam in the side of the face. The men behind him had let him go after the punch so that he felt himself fall forward. He was unable to cushion his fall using his arms so smacked straight onto the concrete floor. Blackness was rapidly closing over his vision. The combined effects of the drugs, bullet and knife wounds meant that he was unable to fight of the tide of unconsciousness, but his last thought was of Madison and what his capture would mean for her safety.


	16. Chapter 16

Half an hour after Adam left to get lunch, I found myself drumming my fingers nervously on his desk. Eventually, the sound broke through my reverie, and I stopped immediately, irritating myself with the incessant noise. Adam should have returned by now. The Chinese restaurant was a five minute walk from the office and Adam, with his long legs, walking at his normal brisk pace, should have returned with lunch and time to spare. Not usually prone to idle thoughts about Adam's every move, I nonetheless worried about his continued absence. Baldwin's threats along with an unknown assailant shadowing our movements meant that I was more paranoid than usual. Not that I considered myself paranoid, more overly cautious. Considering what I had been through, however, I gave myself a bit of leeway. After having been held captive and experimented on for years, and now pursued by an ex-Army Colonel with sociopathic tendencies with a lust for power, a sense of paranoia was, I believed, practical.

My phone rang, and in my haste to reach it I knocked over a bottle of whiskey. I grimaced at that, Adam would be more than a little peeved as it was now soaking into his carpet. I sat back down on the chair and gave a relieved sigh as caller ID identified Adam.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked as soon as I answered the call. A long silence ensued, and I waited, confused. I was about to speak again when my query was answered, but not by Adam.

"Madison, my dear, I'm fine, how are you?" Baldwin asked.

Ice cold fear spread through my veins and I felt a shudder of apprehension. Baldwin should not have access to Adam's phone.

"Madi, are you there?" Baldwin asked in his sickly sweet southern drawl.

Unbeknownst to me, when I had heard Baldwin's voice, I had launched myself from the chair and was now standing in the middle of the room, gripping the phone so hard I heard it crack. My eyes darted around the room; I had no recollection of getting off the chair let alone even standing up. I opened my mouth to speak but closed it again, shocked into silence. I swallowed harshly, my mouth had gone dry and I felt a slight tremble in my hand.

"Why do you have Adam's phone?" I asked, surprised to hear how calm I sounded. It was a stupid question, I knew why he had Adam's phone, but it was all I could think to say.

"Because I have Adam" Baldwin responded simply. I gritted my teeth, using all my mental focus not to scream or even worse, trash Adam's office in anger.

"What do you want?" I asked, trying to keep the resignation out of my voice. I knew that was an obvious question; he wanted me. I heard Baldwin make a 'tsk' sound, obviously getting annoyed at my stupid questions.

"My dear, you know exactly what I want." Baldwin paused at this juncture, and I felt my jaw clench. I hated being called 'my dear'. In the process of walking out of Adam's office I stopped in my tracks at Baldwin's next words.

"Don't try and warn anyone Madison. I have eyes and ears within Sarif Industries. You tell anyone about what is happening and your lover is dead." Baldwin's voice, up until now, held a slightly mocking tone. Now, steel entered his voice and I knew he was serious.

Despite knowing we were being watched, it shocked me that he was able to get someone inside Sarif Industries. Baldwin didn't bluff, and he was also meticulous in his planning. If he had a mole inside Sarif Industries, it meant he'd been able to track our movements and get an idea of our routine for some time.

"Meet me in half an hour on the end of Maynard Street. There's an abandoned warehouse, go inside, and come unarmed. Make no mention of your whereabouts to anyone. I get even an inkling of you having informed someone and I will not hesitate to kill your boyfriend". Baldwin's instructions were succinct and left no doubt that he would follow through on his threats. "See you soon, my dear" Baldwin ended the call.

A myriad of different thoughts and emotions all jumbled for pride of place in my head. I didn't even have time to ask if I could speak to Adam, to verify if he was still alive. I knew he would be though. When Baldwin had been in Sarif's office he had shown more than a passing interest in Adam's augmentations. As a man of science he would be unwilling to let such a specimen remain untouched. That calmed some of my fears, I was almost positive Adam was alive, although it worried me greatly that he might be injured. Adam would never have gone willingly and I suspected he would have put up a fight, even if it meant sustaining injuries.

My next problem was; how the hell did I rescue Adam by myself? I couldn't get any backup or technical support, and it seemed I was doomed to failure before I even began. Not an overly optimistic person at the best of times, my strategic mind assessed and discarded a number of different ideas. Mulling over the logistics of the operation I realised the likelihood of us getting out of the warehouse alive, uninjured or not captured were slim to none.

As a trained operative going in 'dark' was not something which sat comfortably with me. Usually a team would have scouted the area ahead of time, identified exit and entry points and weak points in the perimeter. Technical support would be available which would provide real time analysis of threats, and you would have the backing of your team. I had none of this, but I also didn't have a choice. Baldwin had obviously been planning this for months, which put me at a distinct disadvantage. Making a decision I strapped on my combat gear. Baldwin had said nothing about protective gear so I wasn't technically breaking any of his 'rules'. I stepped out of Adam's office and almost ran straight into Frank.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" The security specialist asked, frowning at my hurried departure.

I straightened up, eyes roaming Frank's face. Insecurity clawed at my gut. "Why do you want to know?" I asked suspiciously.

Pritchard's frown deepened and his response was sharp. "Relax, it's not like I was about to roll out the red carpet for you. Where is Jensen? I need to talk to him about his last security briefing?"

Normally my relationship with Frank was cordial, even teasing at times. Today, my worry over Adam had caused me to speak more sharply than I had intended. Predictably, Pritchard had responded to my curt tone using sarcasm to deflect the confusion I saw briefly in his eyes. I sighed inwardly; this paranoia about Baldwin's inside man had me suspecting Pritchard of all people.

My irritation and panic was increasing every moment I was stuck inside Sarif Industries. I was concerned that Baldwin's mole might be witnessing my exchange with Frank and suspect I had confided in him.

"I don't know" I mumbled, sidestepping Frank quickly, making a concerted effort not to sprint to the elevator. Frank said nothing but I could feel his eyes on my back as I hurried away. I would have to apologise to Frank later for my behaviour, assuming of course there was a later.

Outside of Sarif Industries, I lightly jogged down the steps. As much as I felt like running at full speed, my actions would be seen as odd and most likely questioned by other Sarif employees. However, as soon as I was out of sight, I sped down the street. I could have taken a car, but it would take me at least ten minutes to sign it out and I just didn't have the time. Baldwin had given me half an hour and like most military men, punctuality was a high priority.

Standing across the road from the abandoned warehouse Baldwin had directed me to I was trying to discern where I should enter. I wiped sweat from forehead; I had practically sprinted the entire way here. My breathing was slightly laboured but I was by no means fatigued or out of breath, which was just well, I would need my wits about me. The windows were covered in grime, so it was impossible to see inside.

I was hidden inside another abandoned warehouse, trying to determine an entry point. This side of town, unfortunately, had a number of abandoned factories and buildings. The advent of new technology had meant a lot of people had lost their jobs, technology doing what workers had, but far faster and more efficiently. As much as technology helped, it also hindered. Detroit appeared to be a bustling city, but that was on the surface, scratch a little deeper and you saw signs of poverty, such as this dilapidated area.

Nothing moved outside besides scrap paper, swirling forlornly in the wind. I had precious few minutes left before my enforced appointment with Baldwin. He had chosen well, the building was large and impenetrable from all but one access point. The windows high and most likely welded shut to keep vandals and homeless out. From what I could see, only one entry point was available. This worried me greatly. From a tactical point of view it meant I was walking into an unknown area with only one escape route. I would have to bite the bullet, so to speak.

I exited the safety of the abandoned factory and made my way warily across the road. The weather had turned; a smattering of rain fell around me. I scowled in consternation, this would make tracking difficult. I approached the building, all senses on high alert. I lifted my head, scenting the air, trying hard not to think of myself as a blonde bloodhound. Rain fell harder, making the recent scents left behind harder to distinguish.

Since becoming augmented I had realised how weak our senses were, considering how much we relied on them constantly for daily life. Enhanced senses were ultimately thrust upon me, and were very difficult to adapt to. However, over time I had come to harness them and use those abilities skilfully. Over time the human race has either forgotten how to use the senses our forbearers needed to survive without modern technology, or most likely, we can blame our genetics. We have evolved into a 'refined' race, soft in some respects, not needing the skills required by our ancestors to feed themselves and keep their families alive. The invention of augmentation technology to enhance senses has allowed some to regain that ability, but few hone it. I had honed these skills, and realised I would need every one of these enhancements if I were to survive today.

Before the rain increased from a patter to a downpour, I was able to distinguish that someone had frequented the building recently, but was unable to identify how many, nor identify Adam or Baldwin as being inside. I reached out to the handle, heaving the sliding door open, wincing as the metal screeched on unoiled hinges.

I walked one step inside and stopped, expecting resistance. Electricity had obviously been restored to the building as a few lights shone above, casting ominous shadows. The entire warehouse was a maze filled with wooden crates. I frowned at that, this warehouse was supposed to be abandoned. Silence stretched out around me, unnerving me. Where was Baldwin? Someone was definitely here, I just wasn't able to see them. I couldn't just stand at the entrance so I moved cautiously forward. Rain fell steadily outside, the roof echoing the sound. This made it difficult to pick up sound within the warehouse. The rain was auspicious for Baldwin, and if I didn't know any better, would have believed this downpour was planned, as it hampered my senses.

Moving deeper into the warehouse I stiffened suddenly when I heard the front door slide shut. I had left it opened deliberately; it was my only avenue of escape. I hadn't heard or sensed anyone behind me so assumed it was being controlled electronically. Tension curled in my gut, but more than that, agitation had begun to creep up on me. Baldwin had wanted a meeting and his continued silence was getting on my nerves. I continued deeper into the warehouse, aware that every step took me towards an unknown danger.

Rounding a corner I let out an involuntary cry as I saw Adam, slumped in a chair, bindings around his legs, his arms tied behind his back. I ran to him, skidding on my knees in front of him. I spoke his name and shook him, but he seemed to be unconscious and didn't respond. Looking him over, I saw that he had been injured recently. The front of his shirt near his abdomen was stiff from dried blood, and lifting his shirt I saw more dried blood on his skin. I ran my hand over his stomach but was unable to identify any discernible wounds. I breathed a sigh of relief; whatever injuries he had sustained, his Sentinel would have patched him up.

Strangely, his bindings were rope, and I was able to untie him easily. Rope ties would not have been strong enough to hold Adam. Again I wondered what type of game Baldwin was playing. Baldwin was like a cat chasing a mouse, he loved to play with his prey and I had the distinct feeling this was exactly what he was doing with me.

Adam still hadn't stirred and the growing silence around me had me feel a fear I thought never to experience again. Being trapped in this warehouse was exactly like being back in those labs. I'm sure I suffered some PTSD from those experiments and trials Baldwin put me through. Fear was quickly escalating into the real possibility of terror, which would slow my reaction time. If I wasn't careful, a full blown panic attack could incapacitate me.

I could feel small trembles through my limbs, and tried to take a deep, calming breath. Adam groaned, so I quickly turned back, and swallowing my fear, I made a conscious effort to concentrate on Adam. Quickly untying the restraints around his chest, I moved to his side.

"Adam, can you stand?" I asked my voice croaky from fear.

He didn't answer me but leaned heavily on me when he got up. Adam seemed to be able to stand on his own, so I moved in front of him, hand around his wrist to guide him. Adam hadn't acknowledged my presence, which worried me greatly. I didn't have time to find out why; we had to get out as soon as we could. I was facing Adam when I heard a noise behind me and slightly to the left. I whipped around, placing myself in front of Adam. It was a futile gesture; Adam was a little under a foot taller than me and would make an excellent target.

I watched as a door swung open and Baldwin emerged onto a balcony roughly 12 foot above my position on the ground floor. The balcony gave way to a gated ledge that curved around the entire warehouse. Although light was sparse, I could clearly see Baldwin's smug smirk from my position below. Men in combat gear came out of the door behind him, taking up position around the railing. A dozen weapons were pointed at me, and I looked down seeing red dots appear on my chest. I shifted uncomfortably; the red dots followed my movements. I met Baldwin's stare, fear turning into anger, raw and uninhibited.

"Glad to see you have made it Madison. Please forgive my rudeness at not appearing earlier, I was indisposed." Baldwin shrugged. "You've found your lover I see."

I felt my lip curl in at his false affectations. "Why all the theatrics" I asked, waving my hand expansively at the men around him.

"Because my dear, we're going to play a little game. You see, Mr Jensen caught my eye while at Sarif Industries. He's an interesting specimen, and I want to study him. His augmentations are fascinating, are they not? He's a weapon in himself isn't he? It took an entire team to subdue him. I lost quite a few men." Baldwin shrugged the loss of life unimportant to him.

"I haven't had the chance to study him yet. This way I get both of you." Baldwin grinned. I tensed, eyeing the men warily, waiting for Baldwin to give the order to shoot. If this happened, my plan was to propel Adam backwards, and try to escape using the crates as cover. However, this most likely wouldn't work; his men had the advantage of height, and numbers.

I took one step back, but froze at what Baldwin said next. "I did manage to make one modification before you arrived. You see, Adam's cranial implants have essentially been hacked. It was very difficult, but I managed. I bypassed the safety switch, so to speak. Essentially, every cranial implant has a chip with a failsafe, so, for example, a person doesn't activate their augmentations while asleep, killing their loved ones unintentionally. This keeps nonessential augmentation deactivated. I've merely bypassed that, making them active. He's now under my control. It's for my own experiments; I want to see how you'll perform against him in combat."

I swallowed audibly, not daring to look at Adam, who had remained a solid, silent presence at my back. He hadn't said a word throughout the exchange. This was unlike Adam, who was overprotective and, under normal circumstances would not have stood idly by while Baldwin threatened me. I had no choice but to believe what Baldwin was saying.

Ignoring the immediate problem, Adam had made no hostile move towards me; I instead asked the question I'd been burning to ask. "If you wanted me back so badly, why place me in a stasis hatch for years?"

Baldwin's smile vanished. "That wasn't my doing. I am unaware of who did this. Or why. It matters not. I have found you now." Baldwin paused, motioning to a man next to him. "Jared, get the men to lower their weapons."

I swung my head sharply, identifying Jared, a Sarif Security guard. He had been the one who I had held captive after my escape from Sarif's medical bay. He motioned the other men to lower their weapons. I had identified our mole. I had no idea how, although suspected the motivating factor was money, but Baldwin must have got Jared to spy on us. Making eye contact with Jared I couldn't fail but notice the sneer on his face. I wondered why he had turned on us. Did he resent my handling of him in the medical bay so much? I had apologised to him. I was about to say something to him when I noticed Baldwin had started tapping into a handheld device.

"Best turn around now Madison. It's up to you whether you survive this fight" Baldwin stated, scarcely looking up from his device to address me. This cryptic remark worried me; surely Baldwin wanted me alive, otherwise why go to this effort?

I turned around slowly. Adam was an arm's length away from me, standing relaxed, hands at his sides. My eyes travelled up his body, coming to settle on his eyes. I jerked back slightly; startled to see his normally luminescent green eyes were now a disconcerting red color. I took an unintentional step back; Adam's face was expressionless, devoid of any emotion.

"Adam" I queried, alarm creeping into my voice. Adam had, essentially, been turned into a mindless machine, something I knew he would hate. He took one quick step forward, and smashed his augmented hand into my jaw. I saw the punch coming, but unable to comprehend that Adam would harm me, didn't even block the punch. I lurched sideways but stayed on my feet. I swung around to face Adam, hand covering my jaw, bewilderment clear on my face.

Adrenaline surged through me as Adam advanced again. The man I knew, the man I loved, had no control over his actions. Adam would continue to attack me, relentlessly. I needed to defend myself, but I could not bring myself to harm Adam, even in my own defence. Adam, however, obviously didn't share the same quandary. As punishment for my escape I knew Baldwin would allow Adam to hurt me more than he normally would have, but would he let him kill me?

6


	17. Chapter 17

Around me, time seemed to slow almost imperceptibly; so many things blurred together, splitting my focus. The rain outside had reduced to a drizzle, but all I could hear was my heartbeat drumming loudly in my ears. I watched, distracted, as dust motes floated lazily around me, almost like they were waiting, watching to see how the drama played itself out. The atmosphere was charged, my heightened adrenaline was a direct contradiction to the way that I could almost _feel_ the men around me relax their stance, confident that I was no longer a threat. Everything around me felt unreal, like a daydream; I felt frozen to the cement floor, unable to move. Scanning Adam's blank face as he advanced towards me, I flinched, and in that moment instinct took over, the daydream was no more.

I turned and fled, darting around crates, hoping to get as much distance between myself and Adam as possible. I needed a plan; right now I was operating purely on instinct. I knew I would be unable to outrun Adam, this was an enclosed warehouse, where else could I go? I realised I that I had put some distance between myself and Adam when I heard no sounds of pursuit, so stopped, frantically trying to sort through my thoughts. I needed to stop and think, running blindly around a warehouse would not improve my chances of survival. So I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and pushed all the nagging thoughts to the back of my mind. Years of training should have conditioned me to push past the fear, to concentrate on tangible solutions. But right now, I just couldn't seem to push aside that fear, couldn't concentrate on a plan of action. Unable to contact anyone outside, trapped inside a warehouse with ex-military mercenaries and being pursued by my augmented boyfriend who had essentially been hacked and was now baying for my blood was more than a little disconcerting.

In an attempt to calm myself, I knelt beside the nearest crate. Tilting my head I heard that the rain outside had stopped completely, allowing me to get a better range on my hearing. If I could get a gauge on Adam's position I would be better able to track him and, if possible, keep away from him. I activated my Smart Vision, but soon cursed. I put my ear to the closest crate and was able to discern the slightest electronic humming sound being emitted. Whatever was in the crates was creating interference with my Tracking Aug. My Tracking Augmentation allowed me to use a type of radar similar to sonar to hone in on a target's location. The Augmentation was a form of human echolocation, which seemed to have developed as a result of the nano-augmentation process. Since nano-augmentation had not been successfully trialled on other subjects, it was difficult to tell if this capability was unique to me, or a generic ability.

Baldwin had told me, in one of his more pensive moods, that he suspected that this particular ability was unique, a type of genetic mutation. As far as he was able to discern, a low wave signal was sent out to capture energy within certain portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. After the signal was sent out, it travelled outward, bounced off objects, and returned to receiving regions of my brain. It had worked well in the past; however, for some reason interference from whatever was in the crates meant I was unable to track Adam's movements. Switching on my Smart Vision while using my Tracking Aug meant that seemingly hundreds of different signals echoed back to me, making it impossible for me to pinpoint Adam's precise location. I had no idea, but suspected that this wasn't a deliberate ploy by Baldwin to frustrate my attempts to evade Adam. Whatever was in those crates seemed to be the reason Baldwin was using this warehouse; frustrating my attempts at evasion were merely secondary.

I swallowed audibly; nervous about a possible confrontation with Adam. Sparring with Adam was very different to an actual combat situation. I was aware that he had held back during those sessions; we both had, not wanting to hurt each other. I knew Adam was stronger if not faster than me; his Cybernetic Limbs were able to far exceed normal human limits. I had never imagined myself pitted against Adam in a real combat situation, so was completely unsure how to approach him. If it was anyone but Adam stalking me, my response would be to injure or if necessary kill. However, none of those options were available to me. I had no desire to hurt Adam, and wasn't even sure I could subdue him without causing injury. The problem was, I was in an impossible position, Adam would attack me like any other enemy combatant. That was my dilemma; did I injure Adam for my own survival? I just didn't think I could bring myself to hurt him, even in my own defence. I only hoped I could outrun and outmanoeuvre him, and hope Baldwin got sick of the game quickly, thus ending the predicament I was in. Above all, I hoped that if Adam did manage to corner me, I would be able to endure whatever damage he inflicted.

Despite both of us having a type of Sentinel Health System and the added protection of our Dermal Armour, a fight between Adam and myself would result in considerable injury. My own Sentinel Health System increased the rate of repair to internal and external trauma at such a rate that only the most severe injuries could cause any serious damage. Baldwin, however, had anticipated that this defensive mechanism would not be enough so had ordered, without permission of course, the inclusion of the Dermal Armour. The nano-augmentation process had already provided a more durable epidermis, but Baldwin wanted more. So, he had implanted the Dermal Armour as well. An agile, micro-thin material implanted beneath my skin in different areas of my body, the microfiber weave acted as much as a shock absorbent as it did providing physical protection, increasing the amount of damage I was able to withstand. That did not mean we could not be injured, it just took a substantial force to create that same level of physical impact. Despite these Augmentations, I had no weapon, and knew Adam would make good use of his own in-built weapon, his nano-ceramic blades.

Baldwin seemed to be enjoying my torment, as he had Adam follow me around the warehouse at an almost leisurely pace. Jogging around the crates, I was searching desperately for something to defend myself when I spotted a crow bar lying haphazardly on top of a crate. Left there unintentionally or not, it was the only chance I had to use something in my own defence. As my hands clamped around the cool metal, I turned in a slow circle, a shiver making its way up my spine; a premonition of danger. The warehouse had become eerily quiet. I stilled, no longer able to hear Adam's footsteps. Adam could use his Cybernetic Limb Augmentation to silence his footsteps, making it impossible to isolate his location.

I backed up against the nearest stack of crates. I wanted something solid against my back, not wanting an ambush behind me where Adam could easily get the upper hand. Every muscle in my body was bunched, ready to react at a moment's notice. I felt the faintest disturbance in the air to my left and turned instinctively. I didn't hear him approach, but had just enough time to ready myself before he rounded the corner. Adam's blade on his right arm was extended, and I had just enough time to duck under his attack as he lifted his arm to splice down on my position.

I used the same move on Adam when we first began sparring in the Training Room; I used the crow bar to slap at his back while I slipped under his arm and pivoted away from his attack. The slap I gave him was a lot harder than the one I had given him in the Training Room, and served to tilt him almost off-balance. I could have caused Adam considerable damage while his back was turned to me, but I resisted. Adam recovered quickly and turned around. His glasses were retracted and the bright red of his gaze meant it was difficult for me not to stare. If any colour was needed to create a dramatic effect on our current situation, red was certainly the appropriate colour.

Adam launched himself at me, but I was ready for this attack and once again was able to dance out of harm's way. Adam kept coming at me relentlessly, but I noticed something peculiar; his reflexes weren't as sharp. There were times that he seemed to be like a marionette, jerking at odd moments. Adam's normal fighting style was fluid, adaptable, and beautiful to watch, but now he seemed almost jolting. I had no idea how Baldwin had hacked into Adam's cranial implants, but thought it must be difficult to control Adam's entire body movements. It was even possible that Adam may be fighting against the intrusion into his body. In any case, I was finding it extremely difficult to keep up a defence. Despite my best attempts, Adam had managed to inflict some minor damage; a punch to my midsection had felt like he had lifted my stomach into my chest. His nano-ceramic blades had also caused some injuries, a few slices into my arms and chest, but I had been lucky that these were the only inures I had sustained.

I knew I couldn't keep fighting forever; that was one major advantage Adam had over me. His Cybernetic Limbs meant he could endure far more and be resistant to fatigue. I could feel myself tiring and that was when I made a mistake. Adam had attempted to grab the crow bar off of me, and instead of moving back like I should have, I attempted to jab the curved end of the crow bar at his head, trying to knock him unconscious. Adam seemed to sense this move and grabbed the crow bar in his unyielding metal hand. His other hand clamped around mine in a punishing grip, effectively trapping my hand against the bar. I attempted to pull away, but to my consternation I felt him tilt the pointed end of the crow bar back towards me. Inch by inch I watched, helplessly struggling against his incredible strength, as the crow bar was thrust towards my body. Desperate, I tried to bring my knee up towards his mid-section, but this just seemed to give Adam more leeway. Momentarily off balance, Adam honed in on his advantage and thrust the crow bar hard into my shoulder. I let out a howl of pain as I felt the metal grind itself deep into my flesh. Adam let go abruptly; the momentum of his attack meant I was unable to stop myself from falling backwards.

I landed painfully on my back, gasping for breath, aware of the throbbing pain in my shoulder. Adam stood looming over me, not moving. I floundered briefly, pain and fear causing inaction. Still on my back, I glanced over to my shoulder. I saw the crow bar was deeply imbedded; blood had begun to seep out around the wound. I needed to get it out; any foreign particle imbedded in my flesh would not heal unless taken out. Given time my body would eventually expel any foreign object, but right now, I didn't have that luxury. Taking a deep breath I reached over and pulled out the crow bar, unable to supress the shout of pain as it slid out of my bruised flesh. I let the crow bar fall to my side, the metal rebounding on the concrete shockingly loud. Adam stood loose limbed, watching me passively, making no move to press his advantage. I rolled over onto my side, biting my lip against the pain, and stood up.

Grasping my shoulder, feeling the warm blood seep through my fingers I backed up warily. Adam had still not moved although his eyes followed my every movement. I turned and ran again, forgetting to retrieve my only weapon, desperately seeking respite so that my body could heal. I heard Adam behind me, so ran faster, ignoring the throbbing in my shoulder. I stopped, gasping for breath, unable to hear or see Adam. I could already feel my flesh trying to knit itself back together, but wondered how long before another confrontation with Adam would mean additional injuries. The more trauma my body was under, the harder my Sentinel worked, taking longer to heal critical wounds.

Unprepared for his next attack, I sensed movement to my right but saw nothing. Confused, I realised too late that Adam had used his Cloaking System to render himself invisible. A fraction of a section before he was on me he de-cloaked, watching helplessly as his hands grabbed the front of my combat vest before I felt the world tilt in a dangerous spiral around me. Incapable to distinguish up from down, I was unable to position my body to land safely, so crashed painfully into a stack of crates across the room.

As soon as I made contact with the crates I felt a searing pain in my side, and rolled painfully down the crates to sprawl awkwardly on the floor. A pain so intense I was unable to breathe spread out from my ribs. I curled into a foetal position, trying desperately to stop the pain. Breathing was difficult; every time I sucked in a breath a sharp pain would shoot into my chest. Having experienced the sensation before, I suspected I had broken a few ribs. My breathing issues were troublesome; I couldn't seem to take a breath without pain. I sat up painfully into a sitting position, a hacking cough escaping my lips. A metallic taste entered my mouth, and I reached up, noticing my hand was trembling, to wipe the side of my mouth where I seemed to be dribbling. Looking down, it wasn't the tremble in my hand that caught my attention, but the smear of blood across the back of my hand.

"Fuck" I moaned softly, realising I that my broken a rib had most likely punctured a lung.

Grabbing the side of the nearest crate, I hauled myself up painfully; unaware I was omitting a groan with every movement. My head felt hazy, I didn't even know why I had gotten up. The survival instinct is strong, and I suspected this was what kept me going, the need to survive, to live, to endure.

Glancing over at Adam my shuffling steps forward faltered slightly. He seemed to be having some kind of internal dispute. For the first time since entering the warehouse, a fleeting emotion, almost akin to anguish crossed his face, before it was gone, replaced by his passive expression. I blinked rapidly, wondering if my mind was playing tricks on me. He jerkily stepped forward, but his movements were stiff, almost reluctant. Not wanting to be thrown across the room again into another stack of crates I moved a few feet back towards the warehouse wall.

The wound in my shoulder, the broken ribs and possible punctured lung added to my already weakened state. I was tired of running, tired of Baldwin's games. Leaning my back up against the wall I slowly lowered my head back as a wave of fatigue overcame me. I heard Adam approaching but was unable to do anything, I couldn't run or fight. Adam engaged his blade as he approached my position. Maybe Baldwin had intended my death. If that were so, there wasn't much I could do about it. Despite the situation, a strange sense of calm settled over me. These last few months had been one of the happiest times in my life, and regardless of my current predicament, I wouldn't do anything differently.

Almost without blinking Adam stood in front of me, his hand wrapped around my throat. I saw him thrust his arm towards my midsection but felt nothing. I didn't even comprehend what had happened before he stepped back suddenly, and I watched as a small amount of blood dripped off the end of his blade before he retracted it back into his arm. Looking down my body I watched oddly disconnected, as blood spilled from a wound in my abdomen. Seemingly from nowhere my hand seemed to float in front of my stomach where it touched the wound spilling blood. As soon as my fingers touched the blood, the calm trance seemed to evaporate. I heard a roaring in my ears before the pain hit. I stepped backwards, only to slide down the wall, every nerve ending on fire.

A red haze permeated my vision, and despite blinking rapidly I was unable to clear it. I knew I was dying, the broken ribs had caused a pneumothorax and I had no idea what vital organs Adam's blade had punctured. Despite my advanced healing abilities, I wasn't even sure _I_ could survive these critical injuries.

Unbeknownst to me, a small rivulet of blood dribbled out the corner of my mouth. I tried to speak the three words I had never said to Adam, but had desperately wanted to. It had come out in a garbled whisper, I wasn't even sure Adam heard me. It would have to do, I had said I loved him, even if he didn't hear it; and oddly it gave me some measure of peace to know I had said it.

I locked my gaze onto Adam's face, even if it wasn't _him_ necessarily; it was still a nice last vision. I blinked slowly, wondering if I was hallucinating. Adam's hands had grabbed on either side of his head, his expression was contorted in agony, when he dropped suddenly to his knees.

An internal battle was raging in Adam's head. Only peripherally aware of his actions, he nonetheless felt a deep sense of unease when his awareness crystallized for a few seconds every now and again. Baldwin had not used his "Infringement Hack" as he had morbidly nicknamed it, on anyone as heavily augmented as Adam. On all other test subjects the hack had held, allowing Baldwin complete control over his subject. Whether it was Adam's unique DNA or enormous willpower, Baldwin was unaware that he had momentarily lost control of his current subject.

During the course of their fight, Adam's conscious mind fought hard to break through the hack. When he was able to gain some semblance of control he was horrified to see he was actively trying to hurt Madison. Before he could wilfully act on his newfound control, however, the hack once again overwhelmed his system, rendering his conscious mind obsolete. Something changed however; Adam's cognizant awareness was slowly bleeding through the hack, his willpower seeming to overwhelm the system's hack. A sharp, excruciating pain blasted throughout his skull. It was like his brain was short-circuiting. In essence, Adam's conscious mind was pushing _against_ the circuit which controlled Baldwin's hack, essentially overheating it. For the first time since entering the warehouse, Adam was in full control of his mind and his body.

Adam was breathing heavily, unaware that his mind-bending feat to take back control of his body was completely unprecedented. All he felt was a raging headache. He groaned ruefully, his body was sore, like he'd been in a fight. Adam was on his knees, one arm balanced against the ground, the other holding his head. The polished but unclean concrete floor beneath him was unfamiliar. He stared at the floor, hoping it would provide the answers his brain couldn't. His mind was foggy; he remembered the confrontation with the ex-military men working for Baldwin. Adam gritted his teeth, he'd lost that fight. Brief flashes of memory escaped, fighting with a blonde, stalking her. Adam went cold, that blonde was familiar. Adam gasped, memory rushing back to him faster than an overflowing stream. Fighting, Madison, blood. Suddenly, Adam sat back on his haunches, only just noticing Madison's slumped form a few feet in front of him.

Adam scrambled to his feet, rushing towards Madison's prone form. His hands hovered above her body; blood seemed to be spilling out from a number of places. Panic rippled through him, he didn't know where to touch her so he settled on attempting to brush some hair out of her eyes, but she flinched away from him. She _fucking_ flinched when he tried to touch her. Despair and shame ripped through him. Because of him she was lying there, soaking in her own blood because of what _he_ did to her. At the thought of blood, Adam's panicked mind seemed to sharpen. He had to get her out of here, she desperately needed medical attention.

Adam attempted to place his hand over the wound in her abdomen but this served to agitate her. Adam watched helplessly as Madison tried to shift away from him, alarm written on her face. She didn't seem to be able to recognise that he was no longer under Baldwin's control, but that was hardly surprising, she was barely even conscious. Frustrated, Adam inched back, taking his hands away, her alarm would do her more harm. Increasing her adrenaline would mean an increase in blood flow, and she had already lost so much blood. Raking his hands though his hair, Adam found himself swearing profusely, he had to get her to relax so he could carry her out of there.

Bending so that he could make some sort of eye contact, Adam talked softly, "Madi, it's me. I'm sorry….It's me okay? I'm not being controlled anymore. Please, just…trust me". Adam heard the pleading tone, his voice catching on the last two words. Trust was something he knew he'd have to earn.

Madison's half-lidded gaze seemed to settle on his face, he saw what an effort it was for her to keep her eyes open. She seemed to nod. Adam hesitated, was that a nod of acceptance? He had to take his chance because above him he heard sounds of alarm. Baldwin had discovered he had lost control.

Moving slowly, aware that time was critical, he still needed Madison to cooperate with his handling of her. If she resisted, he would have a hard time getting both of them out of the warehouse. Scooping her up, holding her tight against his chest, Adam breathed a sigh of relief; she seemed to accept his touch, for now.

Adam could hear the sound of heavy footsteps running on the metal balcony above. He had no idea where they were, nor how to get out. Moving to his left, he stuck to the wall, keeping his form in darkness, making it difficult for the mercenaries to locate him. Adam could hear confused shouts, but above all he could hear Baldwin's voice, directing the men to find him. Anger and hatred, so strong it seemed to boil his blood, crashed through his system. With Madison so critically injured Adam didn't have the luxury of ripping the man's arms out of his sockets, but he knew, when this was over, he would personally see that he paid, and dearly.

Adam jogged towards what he hoped was the entrance, but halted abruptly, hiding his form behind some crates. He activated his Smart Vision, marking the targets between him and the exit. Adam heard movement behind him and turned, aware that the mercenaries were slowly spreading out in formation, in front and behind him, hoping to trap him between their sweep. Adam had one option left to him, so he held Madison tighter against his chest and moved away from cover, exposing himself out in the open. He placed Madison gently on the floor, noticing with increasing alarm that her eyes had closed completely.

Adam was aware that the mercenaries had surrounded him, but ignored them, choosing instead to concentrate on Baldwin who was still standing on the balcony. Adam levelled his gaze at Baldwin, fury evident in his expression.

Baldwin spoke first. "I think congratulations are in order Mr. Jensen. No one has ever been able to override my hack. How did you do it, if you don't mind my asking?"

Adam was helpless to prevent a sneer from forming, but he remained silent. "No?" Baldwin shrugged at Adam's silence to his question. The Colonel sighed dramatically. "No matter, it'll be a challenge to find out. Too bad it was for naught." Baldwin paused, signalling his men to intervene.

Adam tensed, and crouching over Madison to protect her; he activated his Typhoon Explosion System. He vaguely heard a shout from Baldwin to stop him, but he was too late, the Typhoon had already been activated. Adam knew that the Typhoon Augmentation effectively turned him into a human fragmentation grenade. At his feet Madison was out of harm's way, as she was at the center of the blast radius. He felt the series of subdermal pads along the back of his arms, upper legs, and torso open, releasing a matrix of stainless steel ball bearings to wreak havoc around him. It was the only option open to him. To get out of this warehouse Adam had no choice but to inflict maximum damage on the men around him. He was aware that it would result in their deaths, but at that moment couldn't find it in himself to care. The only person he cared about was lying on the floor, possibly dying as a result of their interference. So, on activation and with no prickle on his conscience, the implant released the ball bearings in a 360 degree shrapnel shockwave that inflicted fatal damage on the surrounding men.

Chaos erupted around Adam, a rush of heat, screams of pain, the smell of burning flesh. All these were secondary to Adam's main concern. Scooping Madison back up, Adam spared a brief glance at the balcony Baldwin had been standing on. He was no longer there, in fact, part of the structure had seemed to collapse, leaving part of the balcony swinging in the aftermath of the explosion. Adam didn't have time to investigate whether Baldwin was alive or not.

The door to the warehouse was locked, so once again Adam placed Madison on the ground, extended his left arm, activating his wall crusher augmentation and smashed a hole near the handle. Reaching through the hole he was able to disengage the lock mechanism so that he could slide open the door. Turning back to Madison he was alarmed to find her face was deathly pale, her skin almost white from losing so much blood. Her breathing was laboured, and as Adam leant down he could barely hear her heartbeat, noticing it was sluggish and was missing beats.

"Shit" Adam growled , for the first time realising that he could really lose Madison. Stepping out of the warehouse, before Adam could even raise his hand to activate his InfoLink, Pritchard's nasal voice came resounding down the line, an odd mixture of anxiety and annoyance.

"Jesus Christ Jensen, where the hell have you been? You've been offline for hours. I haven't been able to locate you…" Pritchard started before Adam interrupted; irritation and distress plain in his voice. Adam vaguely recognised the area, so began running down the street, trying to find a car he could use to drive back to Sarif Industries.

"Shut up Francis." Adam growled irritably. He did not have the patience for Pritchard's diatribe. In the meantime, he had found a vehicle, and bundling them both into the car, was relieved to find he could hotwire the engine.

Screeching off from the side of the road, Adam could hear Pritchard take a breath, but spoke again before the Tech Specialist could muster a response. "It's a long story. I need Doctor Lambert to be available immediately. Madison has been critically injured. She…It's bad, just… get Doctor Lambert and his team ready. Please". It was this last word which made Pritchard pause. Adam had never said the word 'please' to him the entire time he'd known him. Pritchard also heard the desperation in his voice so acted immediately, paging the Doctor.

Driving fast down the street, Adam spared a glance at Madison's pale face. He had no idea if she would survive, and that scared him. No, more than that, it threatened to tear down his entire world. Emotions threatened to overwhelm him but he pushed them aside, his only concern to get Madison to Sarif Industries and pray that the Doctors could save her.

8


End file.
